Blood Knights in Gotham
by WayWard Childe
Summary: BVTSNightwing. After spending what seems to be an eternity in limbo, Spike wakes up in Gotham and sets about creating a new life with a new family. Nominated at the LSA awards for Best Author, Crossover, Action, Spike As Hero, and WIP
1. To Wake In Darkness

**Blood Knights in Gotham**

**Drama/Action/Romance/Crossover**

**Post Chosen in the Buffy Verse.**

**Pretty up to date in the DC Universe.**

**All Characters Belong to their respected owners, which unfortunately isn't me. Unless it's an original character, but I don't have any in this story….yet.**

**Note: I'd like to thank Squirl and Redwulf50 for their help on this story.**

**Chapter 1: To wake in Darkness**

He didn't think death would be like this. It was just an eternal black void. Miles of black nothingness that never changes no-matter how far you walk. He thought there would be fire bearing down on his back as chains of ice bound his wrists while he stood knee deep in burning oil. In his wildest dreams it would be a place bathed in light where he would be at peace, where he would be…warm and loved.

He isn't sure how long he's been here, months possibly years. He knows that not to be an exaggeration. It has been months, he's been counting. At first he occupied his time, humming. Singing. Screaming. Yelling. Sobbing. His voice never echoed inside the void, something he found so disconcerting that he eventually stopped talking. He hasn't heard the sound of his own voice in months. All he does is think and count. Count the seconds away as he thinks over the last 120 years.

Spike wearily sighed as he brought his knees to his chest, hugging them to himself. 'Another day' he thought to himself as he finished counting the last second of the previous day. Another day of feeling nothing but a numb ache through out his body. The ache of the dead undead. Spike snorted at the idea.

Spike rested his head on his knees and closed his eyes. Letting the images that always appear when he closes his eyes wash over him. No images of mayhem or murder, people laying at his feet with their throats ripped out, blood black as midnight in the moon light. No he never felt guilt for the things he did when he had no soul. Never felt the need to burden his soul with things it didn't participate in. No the images were of simple things.

Joyce giving him a cup of hot chocolate. Willow comforting him even though he was threatening to stick a bottle in her face. Dawn with wide and fascinated blue eyes listening to his gory exploits with Drusilla. Drusilla sliding a fingernail down his chest, cutting the flesh and watching the beads of crimson life form and pour out. Him watching her lovingly as she sensuously trailed her tongue over the cut. His mother listening to his awful poetry and genuinely finding it beautiful. The way Buffy's hair gleamed in the sunlight. It was worse remembering these things then seeing the blood. If all he saw was guilt and opened his eyes then he could welcome the darkness. All he sees is love just to open his eyes and realize there is nothing but darkness.

Deep in the soles of Spike's feet he could feel a tingle building up. At first it was a little nagging tingle but soon turned into a nagging sting. The sting started to build faster and faster.

"Well this is new." Spike's voice hoarse from months of non use rang out.

"Ow." He stated as the sting start to become an unbearable force, it felt like millions of flaming needles were exploding in his feet.

"Ow, ow, ow AHHHH." He began to scream as the pain started to rapidly spread throughout his body. His muscles felt like they were being ripped apart, and needles were traveling through his veins. His bones felt like they instantly decaying and swears he feels fire dancing beneath his skin.

His screams become more agonizing as he withers on the voids floor. He flaps around wildly no longer thinking about what makes since and what doesn't, just hoping, praying, wishing, the pain to leave.

A bright white light starts to emit from his chest, his skin begins to crack as the light busts through. With one last scream –

"NOOOOOO!" Spike in all regards exploded with pure white light, creating an illumines wave spreading like wildfire through out the void.

All was silent in Spike's mind has the pain subsided, as he slowly gained consciousness he kept his eyes closed, afraid of what he might see. Spike's mind almost didn't register that he was floating down, that he could feel a chilled wind against his body. When he landed he could feel the concrete beneath him, he could hear the sounds of life, cars moving, steps beings made, and to his utter astonishment…he could feel his heart beating.

Spike kept his eyes closed at first, afraid to open them and wake up in darkness once again. When he heard two sets of feet silently making their way over to his body he realized he needed to get mobile. He quickly opened his eyes and saw two blurry images quickly making their way to him.

One was in a two-toned blue suit and a small mask covering his eyes, his hair was jet black. Spike couldn't make much out details, but could see that he was fit and on guard. The other was in all black, a heavy looking cape draped over the man like a shroud. He wore a mask that covered his entire head and had two sharp points on both sides of it. He was an experienced fighter with a slightly brooding attitude.

Spike jumped up and kicked the one in blue squarely in the chest, sending him several feet back and crashing into some crates. He heard a muffled yell, it sounded like "Nightwing!" But Spike wasn't sure, he _was_ sure however that the one in all black was pissed and heading for him fast.

As the dark figure jumped at him, Spike using his opponents momentum against him grabbed the lapels of his cape and flung the dark figure over his head, sending him crashing into a wall. He didn't have time for a brawl, he could barely see or hear. He looked around wildly like an animal trapped in cage, trying to find some way out of the warehouse. For reasons unknown to him he felt a force drive him in the direction of the wall.

Spike sprinted towards the brick wall, unsure why he thinks this is a good idea, but he's had worse plans in the past. Spike closed his eyes and leapt at the wall, going right through it and into the cold rainy night.

He started to gasp and leaned against the wall. He was taking in deep breaths as he rested temporarily.

"Need…to remember…to… breath." He said in-between his short gasps.

Spike stared down the alley, his vision only slightly clearing up and ran into the darkness of the city.

'Always back to darkness.' He thought, even the voice in his mind sounded drained.

Back inside the warehouse… 

Nightwing winced slightly as he stood up, brushing the pieces of wood and saw bust off his suit. His hand began to rub the part of his chest where he was kicked.

"Guy's strong." He stated matter-of-factly.

Batman moved over to his sons side, his eyes quickly scanning over Nightwing for injuries, his face an ever stoic mask.

"He should be…he used to be a vampire." He stated solemnly.

"Vampire? Well wish I could say that's new. Wait – what do you mean used to be?" Dick Grayson aka Nightwing asked confusedly.

"I mean the last I heard of William the bloody, he died closing one of the mouths of hell to save the world, and the last time I checked, Vampires can't dissolve into walls."

"So he's a good guy? Then why attack us?" Nightwing asked.

"He looked scared like he didn't know what was going on, maybe he doesn't." Batman said as he strode towards the back entrance of the warehouse. Nightwing quickly following.

"You think he really came back from the dead…or is it something else?" Nightwing wondered.

Without looking back Batman answered, "Let's find out." He pulled something out of his utility belt and pressed a button. The shields on the batmobile deactivated and the rooftop door opened up. Batman quickly jumped in and started his vehicle. Nightwing followed suit getting into his car – the Nightbird.

Batman turned on his car's computer.

"Oracle." His voice called.

"Yeah Bruce?" Barbara Gorden aka Oracle responded.

"Get me everything you can on the death of Spike, aka William the Bloody."

"Sure thing, Boss."

Batman turned off his computer and drove off to find the recently resurrected former vampire.

In the Nightbird… 

Nightwing turned on his com link.

"Hey Barbara." He stated her name a bit nervously.

"Yes Dick?" Babs as others affectionately called her responded in a no non-sense tone.

"Do you think that maybe…we…ah..could go on a Date tomorrow, night?" The usually clam Dick Grayson anxiously asked.

"I thought I told you we are on a break." She said coolly, but you can hear the frustration building.

"Well yeah I kn-" he was cut off by a sudden explosion.

The nightbird flipped through the air half of the car aflame and ripped up. Past the wild flames you can see the unconscious Nightwing, his face covered in soot, his suit also aflame.

The spinning ball of fire and metal finally crashed into a body of water, a huge lake that is located next to the warehouse district. It made a rip-roaring splash that put out all the flames. The nightbird with Nightwing in it began to sink.

In the middle of the street you can see Nightwings com link.

"Dick? What Happened? Dick tell me what's going on!" Barbara's panicked voice emitted from the com link.

"DICK!" She screamed one last time before a gray and scaly foot smashed it. The foot began to twist side to side, further destroying the com link. A missile launcher dropped down next to his feet.

We travel up the body of the mysterious figure; we see that he's wearing torn and dirty jeans. As we continue up we see he's wearing no shirt, his skin rough and gray with a texture resembling Alligator skin. We finally see the figure in his glory; his shoulders slouched as he holds wolfish grin on his face. It was Killer Croc.

His hands began to imitate the explosion as his deep voice rang out, "Boom."

**TBC…**


	2. To Be Or Not To Be

**Blood Knights in Gotham**

**Chapter 2: To be or not to be**

Spike was almost hypnotized by his own breathing as he ran down the wet alleyway. Plop, plop, plop – the noise of his boots colliding with the damp Gotham street echoed. His running slowed down as he took a chance to catch his breath and get a grip of his surroundings.

Catch his breath, God it was amazing to him that he even had to catch his breath. 120 years since he needed to breathe, of course he never really stopped breathing. He always kept breathing so people wouldn't get suspicious. But for the first time in years he _needed_ to breath.

As his vision cleared he noticed two things. One he couldn't see that well in the dark anymore, but he had a feeling he could see better than most people. Things used to be so clear even in the dark, but now the shadows have dimmed on him. Making it where he can only see clear outlines. Two he was in Gotham City. He should know he's in Gotham; it was after all one of his and Dru's favorite hangouts in the 50's. They spent a decade in the bleak city adding to the mayhem and destruction that already accompanied it. Of course he always preferred Bludhaven, now there was a city for demons.

But he remembers Gotham the most. The fight that Spike is most proud of in his entire unlife happened here. If you asked Angel he would say that Spike's favorite fight was with the first Slayer he killed, but Angel doesn't know as much as he likes to think. If you asked Buffy she would say that Spike's favorite fights were with her, but alas even his love is wrong.

Now the fight that almost took his life just over 50 years ago happened here, when he went one on one with the Green Lantern, Alan Scott. He and Dru were trying to find a crystal that would bring the Master out of his mystical prison, and it was reported to have been sent to a museum in Gotham. Now Spike never did like Ol' Bat Face, but he also couldn't resist his dark princess, she wanted to free him so he wanted to free him too. When he tried to steal the crystal he was confronted by Green Lantern and the fight was on.

The fight took two hours only to end in a tie and the destruction of the crystal. He remembered when he discovered that Alan's ring didn't work on wood, he grabbed a 2 by 4 and started deflecting Alan's energy beams. In that situation Spike knew that the further away he was from The Green Lantern the more he himself was at a disadvantage. He needed to get close and stay close. Soon enough he got the chance, getting up, close and personal with the Green Lantern. He then proceeded to beat Alan Scott senseless with the 2 by 4. One more minute and Alan's brain matter would have been splattered against the floor, but he pulled off a lucky shot and sent Spike flying.

The Battle continued like that for a while, Spike's speed and 2 by 4 helped him dodge the blasts and Alan's very painful realization that he can't let Spike get close again kept him even more alert then usual.

After the crystal was destroyed Spike stopped the battle, declaring that he'd be back another day. He then practically skipped back to his lair, his adrenaline was peaked. He just stood one on one with one of the best Super heroes in the world, and tied. A member of the JSA, the protector of Gotham back then, and he tied. When he got back to the lair he celebrated, and for the first time dominated Drusilla in all aspects of their relationship, something that turned her on immensely – she always did like being dominated. They feasted on children and screwed for an entire week.

Spike shook his head of the memory, slightly bothered that the idea of he and Dru didn't bring on feelings of disgust or longing. He remembered in Sunnydale when he first got his soul he was always bothered with conflicting emotions. His demon was always lusting towards blood, itching for a death, while his calm and peaceful poet's soul looked down on such things, it wanted Spike to stop and sit down, read a nice book of poetry and ignore the atrocities of the battle with the first.

The demon's gone that much he knew, but if he was to guess he'd say he wasn't entirely human either. Passing through walls like a bloody ghost of all things, yet he's leaning up against a wall right now, shivering in the cold night.

Spike closed his eyes wearily, but then opened them quickly, not yet ready to be in nothing but darkness again. Spike began to wonder – 'My demon is gone, does that mean I'm William?' His face became a mask of concentration. The months in perpetual darkness gave him a long time to think on his life and his choices. Things he could have done better, smarter, faster, once again beating himself up for not being good enough.

'Never bloody good enough.' He thought bitterly, Spike was never good enough, not good enough to love, not good enough of a warrior, not a good childe just a mistake always a mistake. These thoughts started to bring Spike to a rage, but he soon calmed down. When trapped in months of solitude, you learn to be patient – at least he learned to be patient with himself.

'Don't get me started on Nancy boy William.' He thought. So weak and quiet, never spoke up or defended himself, not rich enough, not smooth enough, beneath others.

Spike shook his head, 'But I'm not William am I? I have his soul but does that make me him? If I'm not William…am I Spike?' His questions began to race through his mind.

'Let's see,' Spike raised his hand, which was loosely balled into a fist. 'I still like Manchester United, I still like hot wings and beer,' His fingers started to pop up as he counted his list off. 'T.S. Eillot, my mother, Buffy, Joyce.' As he counts the list off he finds that he is still likes and loves the same things. Yet he isn't meek like William, or craves the things that Spike craves.

He tilted his head forward and rested on his hands, a tired sigh escaped his lips.

If he was given an obstacle he knew he wouldn't handled the situation like either entity. He wasn't yet sure how he'd handle it, but he knows that it wouldn't be the same. So the question that we all pondered when such situations become our life escaped his lips.

"Who am I?"

He then heard an explosion and the screech of metal being ripped apart. His head jerking in the direction of the sound and before he could even think, his feet were taking him to it's source.

Spike soon found himself exiting the alleyway and standing in front of a large lake. He continued on to the noise. Up ahead of Spike he sees a car slowly sinking into the water and a large gray beast dropping a missile launcher on to the ground.

"Ugly Bugger." Spike muttered to himself before sprinting towards the Alligator like creature.

"Boom." He heard the beast say, just moments before he leapt into the air.

"Hey!" Spike said in mid-air to get Croc's attention.

Croc turned to Spike's leaping figure and before he could say anything he found Spike's fist planted right in his mouth.

"Bloody Boom!" Spike shouted as Killer Croc fell to the ground.

Spike shook his hand slightly, 'Wankers got tough skin.' He thought to himself. Spike knew he wasn't as strong as he once was, but after 120 years of fighting slayers, rival demons, and angry mobs even without the demons strength he's a fine specimen of human fitness, above the level of any average Olympic athlete.

The hulking man-monster stood up, wiping the blood away from his mouth.

"Gonna enjoy breaking you, stick man." Killer Croc snarled.

Spike rolled his eyes, "No wonder Buffy doesn't take bad guys seriously anymore." He speaks calmly as Killer Croc charges.

Spike side steps Killer Croc and spins hitting Killer Croc in the back of the head sending him once again down to the ground. Most people don't think that Spike's trained in any fighting style, that he only learned what he learned in bar fights and a demons natural instincts.

You don't kill two slayers on bar fighting skills and you don't travel the world without learning a few things before eating your sensei.

Killer Croc jumped up and charged Spike again. Spike side stepped him once more something Killer Croc was expecting, but it was a fake and Spike went the other direction, kneeing him in the groin. He then landed a solid elbow on the back of Croc's neck, before spinning around and slamming Croc's head into the ground repeatedly. He flipped Croc over and started to pummel the metahuman in the face. His punches fast and rigorous, hitting their marks before he could respond.

Croc finally bucked Spike off of him and sent him flying towards the docks. Spike tucked and rolled roughly before springing himself up. He was about to charge Killer Croc, just before he spoke up.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Stick man?" Killer Croc said as he winced to stand up.

Spike pretended to think about it, "Let's see…did I forget to kick your ass? Nope? Well then, I'm right as rain." Spike said before he advance.

"How about the boy at the bottom of the lake." Killer Croc smirked when he saw Spike halt his steps.

"Thought so." Was the last thing Killer Croc said before running in the other direction.

Spike took a step forward to chase him, but stopped and looked back at the lake with fear and confusion in his eyes. He looked back towards the directions of the missing villain, and once again back towards the lake.

It was no contest to Spike; he knew what he had to do.

Spike turned towards the water and ran towards it diving in.

The first thing spike thought as water engulfed him was 'Bloody buggering hell it's cold!' The second thing he thought was, 'I can't let this person's death be on my hands.' He briefly wondered why it mattered so much to him, and why he was leaping off like some hero.

'Is this what William would be after seeing all that I've seen. Would his poofy idealistic nature take a turn for changing the world himself? If William weren't so damn weak, would he have jumped into an ice-cold lake to save some wanker he didn't know?'

Spike continued swimming downward, he could see the car at the bottom of the lake, with the guy he kicked in chest trapped inside. As Spike got closer he realized who it was, Nightwing the original Robin. Which means…

'I threw Batman into a bloody wall. Well that's…just…great.' He thought as he reached the car.

The metal was twisted in front of Nightwing. Spike tried his best to pull the metal apart, but even with Vampire strength, the fused metal would have been too strong. Spike looked at his hands for a moment and then at the metal stopping him from meeting his goal. Spike concentrated as hard as he could and put his hands on the metal, when they phased through he smiled in relief. He put his arms around Nightwing and hoped to hell this would work. Spike pulled on Nightwing and pulled him through the metal like moving through solid objects was a normal everyday thing. Spike pulled Nightwing up and began to swim to the surface.

His head popped out of the water and he began to gasp for breath, he could see his breath clearly as his teeth began to chatter. Spike pulled himself and Nightwing out of the water and laid him on the dock.

'Shit! He's not breathing.' Spike looked down at his hands as he came to a harsh realization. A hundred and twenty years of living and the only thing he could was take life away. He had no idea how to perform CPR. He had no idea how to save someone.

_Warehouse district, other side of the district…_

Batman was driving the batmobile down the streets, keeping his eyes open for the possibly resurrected vampire. Everything was quiet, not much crime tonight, which was unusual, but it was still early.

Suddenly the batmobiles computer flipped with the panicked voice of Oracle practically screaming.

"Batman!"

"What's wrong!" Batman's voice replied sharply. He's doesn't hear Barbara like this unless it involves…

"It's Nightwing!."

'Dick!' Batman's face belied his emotions as it always does and forced his voice to stay calm. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I was talking to him and then I heard an explosion. The com link was still active and I tried to reach him, but then it just went out. Batman…it sounded like someone destroyed it. I heard it crunch before it went out."

"Oracle, where was he!" His voice stern and commanding, the voice he uses on his 'children' when he needs them to listen, the voice that they always listen to.

"Exact opposite direction, boss." Her voice was cool and calm after hearing Bruce's commanding voice.

The tires on the batmobile screeched as Batman sharply turned it and he put the petal to the metal as he drove down the road. His thoughts turned to Jason like they always did when these situations happen. The son he lost, the son he couldn't save. 'Not Dick…I can't let him die. Ever.' Batman's voice in his mind stern, as if commanding himself.

"I will not fail you, son." His words quiet as he drove faster, forgetting that the link was still on. Oracle heard his soft words, worry etched on her face, but hope in her heart.

The Batmobile zoomed down the street, dust and random bits of garbage people have thrown out their window whirling around the vehicle as it goes down the road.

Batman quickly slammed his foot on the break as the saw the site before him. In the middle of the road was a discarded missile launcher and over near the docks was Spike! Pummeling Killer Croc.

Batman opened up the roof and leaped out of the car running towards the two fighters. He saw Croc buck Spike off of him, but Spike just rolled and sprung up to his feet.

'He's good.' Batman observed, as he got closer.

Killer Croc said something to Spike that Batman couldn't hear and then took off in a different direction. Batman's first instinct was to chase after Croc, just like Spike's, but just like him he stopped.

He kept his eyes on the former vampire wondering what the cause of indecision was about, and to his wonderment Spike took off towards the lake and dove into the water.

'Is he crazy? It's freezing!' He thought to himself as he got closer, never stopping his stride.

As he got close to the Missile launcher he noticed something next to it.

Batman bent down to inspect what it was. It was Nightwing's smashed com link.

Batman sharply looked towards the lake and fear began to sink into the man who causes fear.

"Nightwing." His words were but a whisper before he got up and sprinted towards the water. He was about ten feet away when he saw Spike pop out of the water, bringing his son with him. He ran and watched as Spike placed his son on the dock, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

As Batman got there Spike looked up with sad and burdened blue eyes.

"I don't know CPR." He croaked.

Batman quickly understood and began to perform CPR on his son.

'One, Two, three, breath.' He counted in his head has he pumped his hands over Nightwings chest. He holds Dick's nose and tries to force air into his lungs.

One, two, three – he tries again

One, Two, three, he forces air into him again

"Dammnit Nightwing, breathe!" He said one last time before pumping his hands and forcing air down his son's throat. As he pulled up he saw Nightwing spit up water and take huge gasps of air.

'Thank God.' Batman said in his mind, his face still betraying his emotions, it was stoic as usual.

Batman looked up and around, searching for Spike, but he was nowhere to be seen. He looked at the spot next to Nightwing where Spike was before, his eyes focusing on the spot.

Batman looked away from the spot and gathered Dick into his arms taking him over to the Batmobile, and gently placing him inside it. He got in and turned the computer back on.

"Oracle, we're coming home."

"How is he?" Her voice quiet.

"He's burned a little on the left side of his body and almost drowned. Spike pulled him out of the water." Batman started the car and began the drive to the batcave.

"Spike?" Her voice questioning.

"Yes, Spike. I want you to start researching everything you can about his death. We'll be home soon." His tone was no nonsense as pre usual.

"Sure thing, Bo-" He cut off the computer and chose to drive in silence, occasionally glancing at his son, and not for the first time, regretting bringing him into this life.

Spike watched as the Batmobile drove away, a spot on the middle of the dock seemed to shimmer and he appeared, never actually leaving Nightwing's side as his Batman preformed CPR.

Spike sighed and looked down then up at the illuminated city.

"Long bloody night."

TBC…


	3. Going On

**Blood Knights in Gotham**

Chapter three: Going on 

Bruce places his mask on its holder inside the vault. He went back on his patrol after dropping Dick off at the mansion, letting the caring hands of Alfred and Leslie show his son the compassion and medical care he needs. Bruce closes his eyes briefly as he thought about the injuries Dick took on. Bruce knew of course that Dick's had worse than the small burns he acquired before the Nightbird was submerged in the icy water. The burns were the least of Bruce's worries.

Bruce emerged out of the vault and into the empty batcave. Barbara was up in Dick's old room by his side while Alfred and Leslie took care of him. They've yet to update him on his condition beyond the small amount of first-degree burns he has on his left side. From what Alfred told him, the burns were minor and wouldn't scar. All Bruce had to do to know his son's current condition was go up the stairs and into the house and see.

Bruce strode over to the Batcave's computer, determined to pick up Oracle's research before she went to Dick's side. His eyes began to shift back and forth quickly as he read and absorbed the details written by the Justice league.

_Dick Grayson's room at the mansion…_

Dick Grayson was shivering almost violently as he lay in his old bed; covers surrounded him in attempt to keep him warm. He was conscious but his eyes weren't lucid at all. The young wheelchair bound redhead sitting by his bed looked at him with worry clear in her blue eyes.

Dick tried to shove the covers off him, but Barbara forced them back up.

"We need to keep you warm, Dick." Barbara told him a bit forcefully.

"Don't need them." His words were slightly slurred.

Barbara sighed, "So damn stubborn."

"Aren't you all, Miss Barbara?" Alfred said with a warm smile from the doorway, a tray with two cups of tea sitting on it, steam rising from the cups.

Barbara couldn't help but return his smile as he walked towards her.

"Are you implying something, Alfred?" Barbara replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes, accepting the offer of tea with a quiet "Thank you".

"Oh why heavens no! I would never do such a thing." Alfred said as he sat the tray down.

"How's our patient?" The batfamily's butler and confidant inquired.

Barbara's face lost its smile and she returned her eyes to Dick.

"The same." She answered back.

Alfred placed a comforting hand on Babs's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"Master Dick will be just fine by morning, Miss Barbara. He is a tough one."

"Tough or not I don't like to see him like this."

Alfred's face grew grim. "Nor do I, Miss Barbara. Nor do I."

_Batcave…_

Bruce Wayne continued to read the report and it's details.

_An ancient evil going by the name of "The First Evil." Was attempting to raise an army of Turok-han, also known as the vampires that vampires fear. Buffy Anne Summers at the time one of only two Slayers had received a gift from Liam O'Conner, also known as Angelus before he received his soul, and known as Angel now with his soul. Note: He has now taken over the L.A. Branch of Wolfram and hart, the inter-dimensional demonic law firm, and maybe considered a threat. Buffy Anne Summers received the Puragtio de pressinus –_

Bruce sat back as he read the words. 'Purgatio de pessinus?'

"The Cleansing of evil?" Bruce Wayne whispered to himself, before sitting forward again to continue reading.

_-An ancient holy weapon that channels the wearer's soul into a beam of pure light, destroying everything and anything it considers evil in its path. The following day, Buffy Anne Summers led a small army of potential Slayers, Civilians, and one vampire, a Spike aka William the bloody who at the time also had a soul, directly into the Hellmouth to wage war with the army. During the battle Spike wore the Purgatio de Pressinus, and he began to channel his human soul. A beam of light erupted from his chest and annihilated the turok-han army. It went on to destroy the Hellmouth, although Spike himself had a chance to escape before the Hellmouth was destroyed, he decided to stay and finish it off completely. The crystal it's self also destroyed Spike, presumably because of the vampire demon residing in his body._

- _Superman_

A picture of Spike from 1979 was seen attaching the page. He had torn jeans, and frosted bleach blond hair; his shirt was ripped and had several pins going through it. He wore a sneer on his face just as well as the duster around his shoulders.

Bruce sat back once again, "Hello Alfred." He stated calmly.

We pull back to see Alfred has been standing right behind Bruce Wayne, staring at the picture. The tray that he carried upstairs was in his hand, the other cup of now not so steaming hot tea was on it.

"Good evening Master Bruce. I brought you some tea." Alfred's friendly British accent wafted through the batcave.

"Thank you, Alfred." Bruce's voice far away as he took the cup into his hands, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Is this the chap who pulled young Master Dick out of the lake?" Alfred asked.

"Yes." Came Bruce's short reply.

"Hmm I'll have to remember to give him a hot cuppa if we ever meet." Alfred thought out loud.

Bruce didn't say anything to that, but only drank from his cup. He soon rose out of his chair.

"I'm going to retire for the evening, goodnight Alfred." Bruce said without turning around and headed for the house.

"Are you going to stop by Master Dick's room? He's ill you know, Hypothermia. He'll be better by morning of course it's only a moderate case…but it would be good of you to be there." Alfred attentively added the last part.

"No I don't think so Alfred. He has Barbara by his side, and he'll be fine." With that Bruce continued on.

"Of course he'll be fine, sir!" Alfred's voice elevated slightly.

"But I must ask of you, Master Bruce. Do you think I would not have a hand in raising a good man?" Alfred continued on.

Bruce turned around and narrowed his eyes in suspicion at Alfred.

"I'd say that that you'd make sure they were good, even if they didn't believe it to be true." Bruce replied almost briskly, wondering what Alfred was getting at.

Alfred walked over to Bruce and laid a hand on his shoulder, "Then I say, where would a good man be when his son has taken ill." Alfred squared his shoulders and looked Bruce right in the eyes.

Bruce was amazed at the fact that Alfred could still make him feel like the little boy who would take cookies out of the cookie jar when he thought Alfred wasn't watching. Bruce soon came to realize that Alfred was always watching. He then thought of times when he was sick and Alfred was always there by his bedside, reading him stories going above the call and duty of Butler.

"He'd be with his son." Came Bruce's quiet reply.

"He would, wouldn't he?" Alfred replied with a bit of a smile.

Bruce nodded to Alfred, "Goodnight Alfred."

Alfred nodded back and watched Bruce disappear into the house.

"Goodnight, son." Alfred quietly said and turned to clean the area up.

"Good Lord I taught them all better house keeping skills then this." He reprehended them in his own company as he put things in order.

_Master Dick's old room…_

Bruce entered the room, seeing his son shaking on the bed and Barbara lovingly tending to him. Her eyes shot up when he entered.

"I thought you'd be Tim or Cass."

"They'll be in later, their patrols are running a bit late. Run in with some bank robbers." Bruce informed her.

Barbara nodded and returned her attention to Dick.

Bruce walked over to the other side of the bed and pulled up a chair.

Barbara looked over at him curiously.

"Do you want me to leave?" She asked.

Bruce shook his head and then formed one of his classic half smiles. "Even if I did, would you?"

Barbara smiled back, "No, I wouldn't."

Bruce just nodded and sat down in his chair, taking his seat by his son's side.

_A dark neighborhood in Gotham…_

The neighborhood seemed dank and desolate, the streets and buildings covered in grime, some of the buildings were empty, deserted with boarded up doors and windows. Random bits of trash were strung out amongst the street; graffiti of random gangs were sprayed on everything, street signs, dumpsters and even a few of the parked cars.

Now a Gotham street was not the place to be at night alone, especially if you're a pretty girl. Granted better to be in Gotham at night then Bludhaven, but being alone in one city of the damned was just bad as being alone in another.

Just like tonight as a lone woman was walking down a Gotham street, she's about five foot four with long and wavy chestnut brown hair, a single purple streak beautifully blended in on the right side of her head. She wore tight hip hugger jeans and a black tank top, with a black leather purse hanging loosely from her hands.

Kelly Sanders was no stranger to the streets of Gotham, despite her aura of casual ignorance of her grimy surroundings, she was raised in Gotham her whole life and even owns a bar in Bludhaven of all places. She's taken several self-defense classes only accenting what she's learned on the streets and from her big brothers. So when a thug jumped out in front of her, she wasn't too worried, it was the other four guys that worried her.

"Well aren't you a cute little thing?" Thug number one said with a sneer.

Kelly took a defensive stance, "Wish I could say the same thing, although I'm sure "little thing" is accurate enough." The other four thugs started laughing.

"Damn Ricky you going to let this slut talk about you like that?" Thug number 2 asked as he chuckled.

Thug number one (Ricky) growled and swung at Kelly, only to miss when she dodged it. She returned his punch with a swift kick to the groin and a small jab to his throat.

Ricky coughed and stumbled back holding his groin.

"Bitch." He snarled as good as any demon. He looked up at his friends, "Grab her."

Two of the thugs grabbed Kelly from behind and held her down, she instantly began to struggle but their grips were two strong.

"And it was just getting good." Came a cockney accent from the shadows of the alleyway.

All the thugs and Kelly turned to where they thought the voice came from only to see nothing but darkness.

"Pitiful really." The voice continued on around them seemingly to be everywhere and nowhere.

"No one like's a challenge anymore, always going for the easy target. Ganging up on an unarmed girl. Pathetic." The voice kept moving around them.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Ricky yelled as he looked around the shadows.

"Cowards." The voice continued on. "You never go after the easy target, you go after the one you might not beat. So when you do-"

Spike phases through the wall of an abandoned building and clobbers Ricky in the face, "-you know you accomplished something!"

The two thugs let go of Kelly and began charging towards Spike. Spike drops down as they speedily approach sweeping their legs out from beneath them. Both of the thugs fly into the brownstone steps of the nearby apartment complex.

Another thug comes running up behind Spike with a chain in his hand wilding swinging. Spike turns around and grabs the chain out of the thug's hand, and then twists his arm behind him in an arm lock. He applies more pressure to the thugs arm, causing him to scream in protest and pain, while he wraps the chain around his knuckles. Spike then rears back and slams his chained wrapped fist into the thugs twisted elbow, causing it to snap. Spike let's the thug drop to the ground screaming in pain as tears stream down his face.

The last thug starts running towards Spike yelling and screaming like a banshee as he raises a lead pipe in the air. He swings the pipe wildly at Spike, but Spike just grabs it and head butts the thug. With the pipe in his hand Spike steps back and spin kicks the thug in the face. The thug spins in a 360-degree circle spitting out two teeth and a stream of blood before landing on the ground unconscious.

Ricky the first thug rose from the ground, his hand cupping his already bruising face.

"Who are you!" He yelled at Spike.

Spike thought about it for a moment, unsure of how to answer.

Spike shrugged, "Hoping to find out, mate." He said before spinning the lead pipe in his hand and bashing the thug in the head.

Spike just dropped the lead pipe and looked around. The thugs were laid out groaning as they held their broken bones. Spike smirked a satisfied smirk, before walking on down the grimy street.

Kelly shakily picked up her purse and looked around. She's never been so close to something bad happening, oh she's been robbed before and mugged, but she had a feeling that these thugs weren't going to stop at that. But then this stranger with golden white hair, sharp cheek bones, and lively blue eyes came to her rescue.

Kelly nervously tucked her hair behind her ear as she watched the now silent figure walk away.

"Thank you." She called out.

"Whatever." Spike replied as he gave a little bit of a wave of his hand, as to indicate that he acknowledge her gratitude.

Kelly frowned in frustration at his attitude, but unwilling to let it go, the need to return a favor for a favor pushed her on.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Kelly asked.

Spike turned around and leered at her slightly with a raised eyebrow.

It took a couple seconds for her to get what his look was implying before she blushed and backtracked.

"I- I have a couch is all and you're in wet clothes, and you know I'm just trying to be polite, you perv."

Spike smirked at her and shook his head, he looked around and the truth was, where was he going to go? He's been back for two hours and that's a little hard for him to believe, and ever since he's been back it's been non-stop fighting. A place to rest sounds great to him right about now.

"Sure, pet. I could use a place to stay for the night."

Kelly smiled and nodded her head in the opposite direction he's walking.

Spike walked over to her and they started off towards her apartment complex.

"So what's your name, Mr. Hero man?"

Spike had to think about it; once again the question that's been plaguing him tonight has come back in a different form. Was he Spike, William, or none of the above?

"It shouldn't be that hard of a question really." Kelly said amused.

Spike shook himself out of his line of thinking and stared at the young girl by his side. He then said the first thing that popped out his mind.

"Randy. My name's Randy."

"Kelly." She replied and extended her hand.

Spike/Randy stared down at it for a moment, an indescribable look on his face. He slowly took the hand into his own and began to shake.

Kelly smiled at him, "Come on, Randy. Let's go home."

Tbc…


	4. Something New

**Blood Knights in Gotham**

**Note: Readers Rock! But Reviewers Rule! Thank you to everyone for their reviews, and thanks to Squirl who constantly believes in me and my writing.**

**Chapter four: Something new**

Randy and Kelly stood out side a hulking and gothic looking building. Time hasn't been entirely kind to the apartment complex. The brick walls of the building haven't been washed in years, making it looks sooty even in the dark of night. Withered vines have scaled and wound themselves up the walls.

Randy eyed the building with a mix of approval and amusement. "Homey." He said sincerely, but Kelly took it as sarcasm.

"Yeah well what can you do?" Kelly said with a shrug and smile, practically bouncing up the stairs like a child and turning around to wave him up.

'How can she be so innocent after being raised in a city like this?' Randy questioned himself as he followed her up and inside.

They entered the apartment building and Randy took in his surroundings as they walked towards the elevator. The walls were tinged with yellow and had shadowy stains spread over its uneven surface. The stains were of various things Randy noticed, to his amusement most of them were "love stains", but he also noticed that a lot of the stains were blood dried long ago.

"The walls used to be white…I think." Kelly said, as they got closer to the elevator.

Randy nodded and continued on, once again wondering how this girl could keep such a bouncy attitude in this city.

The elevator doors open and Randy and Kelly step inside, much like the hallway the elevator seemed almost decrepit.

"Is this thing safe?" Randy never did like elevators too much, not enough room to move and be free. If it's one thing Randy likes, it's freedom.

"This old thing? Oh yeah, looks bad but it's in great shape."

Randy nodded and moved over to the corner to rest.

"Wait! Don't stand there-" she paused and bit her lip, "Hobos kind of…well it's nickname is "the piss corner" for a reason."

Randy's face scrunched up in disgust as he moved away from the corner.

"Bloody nice place you're living in, pet."

She looked at him apologetically, "Yeah it's crap, but I was raised here. I know everybody in this neighbor hood, known them my whole life. I know their whole life. It's…it's home you know?"

Randy tried to understand, but really he didn't know what home was. It's been so long since he's had one. Spike never had a home, just traveled like a gypsy. Randy slightly snorted at the idea of HIM traveling like a gypsy. Every time he thought of gypsies he thought of Angel's curse, and the fact that the wanker couldn't have sex gave Randy his own little perfect happiness.

"No, pet I don't. I don't have a home." The truth of his words saddened Randy a lot more then he thought they would.

Kelly looked up at Randy, sympathy shining clearly in her eyes.

Randy took the sympathy for pity and harshly replied, "I don't want any pity! I hate pity, there's no point!" His eyes darkened and flared with anger at the same time.

Kelly backed away slightly, but she wasn't afraid of him it was just instinct to do so. "Not pity, sympathy. Everyone has a home…or at least they should. What about friends? Family."

Randy thought of Dawn, Joyce, and Clem. The only people he could call friends in the last 120 years of his life, one died, the other one hates him if she's still alive…'GOD, did she even make it?' And the other is off somewhere, probably impossible to reach. He didn't even want to think about family.

"I don't have any."

"Friends or family?" She inquired, but dreading the answer.

"Neither, look pet I'm knackered, could we just get to bed?" Randy said with a mix of fatigue and exasperation.

When Kelly gave him a good look over, she did notice how tired he seemed. His eyes weren't so young and lively as they were in the fight; they now seemed old and exhausted. The last time she saw eyes like that were her grandfathers eyes, he was in world war two and watched as his entire platoon was massacred by a grenade. Ever since then he had these eyes that had seen too much. She wondered how someone so young could have eyes so old.

"Yeah alright, let's go to bed."

"You keep saying that and I'll have to start throwing innuendo around." Randy said as he waggled his eyebrows.

Kelly blushed slightly and smiled at Randy, "Perv."

Randy smirks, "And don't you forget it, pet."

Randy and Kelly continued on down the hall way till they got to her apartment door.

Kelly opened her door and stepped inside, but Randy stayed outside the door. He hesitated, but wasn't sure if it was the years of being Spike and not able, or the years of being William and only trying to be polite.

"You coming in?" Kelly called from inside the apartment.

"Uh….yeah."

Randy walked into the apartment and let out a low whistle. The apartment was clean! Not just clean but nice, _very_ nice. The apartment had wooden floors; the walls and ceiling were a creamy navy blue. As Randy went further into the apartment he saw the kitchen to his left, white tile floors with oak counter tops and a stainless steel fridge, at the end of the kitchen was an opened door that lead to what looked like a small wine cellar. Spike continued on and made his way to the living room; it has two plush black leather couches, a white love seat and a black recliner. The two couches were facing each other, separated by a glass coffee table, on the right side of the couches was a big screen tv and on the left was a fireplace.

Randy shook his, "Posh, pet. This place is absolutely posh." Randy said in amazement.

Kelly shrugged, "Guess it does kind of give a whole new meaning to the words "don't judge a book by its cover."

He pulled his duster around himself slightly, "Not sure I've heard that one before, pet." Randy sighed and sat on one of the stools at her kitchens bar.

"Want anything to drink?" Kelly hollered from within the cellar.

"I'm not really much for wine, luv."

"Oh I don't have any wine, just alcohol. Who say's you have to store wine in a wine cellar?"

Randy chuckles and shakes his head, "Got any Jack Daniel's?"

"Jack Daniel's coming up." Kelly said with enthusiasm.

Kelly walked out of the cellar with a bottle of JD in hand and placed it on the bar with two shot glasses. She took off the lid and poured the two drinks up like a pro.

Randy raised an eyebrow at her professionalism, "Bar tender?" he asked as he drank his first shot.

"I own a bar actually, over in Bludhaven. It's called Bludhaven Blues."

"Bloody hell! Bludhaven?" Randy exclaimed in slight shock.

"Hell pretty much describes it, but yeah over in Bludhaven. It was my grandfathers, and he passed it to my father, who passed it on to me."

Randy nodded and downed another shot; he wasn't really sure how to talk to her. She's his opposite in many ways, all about friends and family, running a business in a city that is the closet thing to hell on earth because it was family business. When was the last time he had that? He didn't even have that when he was William.

"You picked a hell of a place to start a new life." Kelly commented as she rummaged through her refrigerator.

Randy's head shot, "What?".

Kelly closed the fridge with a plate of chocolate cake in hand and placed it on the bar.

"Well no friends, no family, look like you've been here about an hour. Just figure you came here to start something new, oh why you picked Gotham I'll never know." She opened up a drawer and pulled out a fork.

Randy looked into her eyes for a moment pondering what to say. He's been truthful with her so far, although he's not too sure why. He decided to say the closest thing he found to be true in his own mind. "Not really starting a new life, pet…just…starting."

"Beginning for the first time?" She asked, "Never had a life before?"

His eyes squinted and darkened as he thought about the question, "No I never had a _life_ before." He placed emphasis on life for the very reason that he didn't have a life before, he was born and lived for 25 years then he started an unlife.

Kelly nodded slowly as she kept her eye contact, when she saw Randy downing another shot she asked, "So…how can you phase through walls?"

Randy spits up his JD.

Dick Grayson's old room… 

Dick Grayson continued to shake and mumbled while he laid in his bed, next to him was Barbara making sure he kept warm from his frequent cover pushing. On the other side of the bed sitting in a chair was Bruce Wayne, his elbows resting on the chairs arms, his hands tangled together and placed over his mouth as he sat there and watched his son fight the sickness.

"Where's your computer?" Bruce asked Barbara quietly.

"Hmmm?" Barbara was only half paying attention to Bruce.

"The Laptop." Bruce was referring to how she always has her laptop with her when researching something away from her main computers. It wasn't like her to be away from it even if she was attending to Dick.

The former batgirl sighed, "The truth is, Bruce. That report from Superman…that's all there is. The crystal seemed to be the most valuable piece of information, but beyond what he already said in the report there's no information….except."

"Except…what." Bruce asked.

"Well there might be some more information on it, just nothing stored in computers. Apparently the order that held it kept it hidden extremely well from the modern world. That is until Wolfram and Hart…took it from them. I told Superman about it, and he said he'd personally visit the order and see what he could find. With any hope he'll be here tonight with the information we need." She explained to Bruce.

Bruce Wayne just nodded and returned his attention to Dick.

Mountains deep in the Amazon… 

A blue and red blur sped through the sky faster then a speeding a bullet and landed on a plateau. It's Superman! His red cape bellows around him as the high winds of the peak blow. All of his searching for the order that once held the Purgatio de pessinus lead him here. He would have made it sooner but he had to stop a mudslide and a various muggings, and an odd case of a cross dresser dognapper that will give Superman nightmares for a long time.

Superman scanned the area around him, using his supervision and x-ray vision to find the hidden temple within this jungle. He finally spotted it…shamefully in front of him. Superman gave himself a half smile for not looking there first, and then approached what appeared to be the side of the mountain. A giant bolder was in the side of the mountain, and it didn't take long for Superman to figure out that the boulder was the front door. With no time to figure out whatever code or word the Monks and their order used to move the bolder he grabbed it and began to pull. The mountain seemed to tremble as he did the impossible once again; dirt and dust began to fall on him as he pulled the rock out more and more. Finally he opened the passageway and discarded the rock, easily throwing it over his shoulder.

Superman walked into the temple with his familiar aura of confidence. The entrance was a dark tunnel made up of rocks and dirt, with roots from the trees on top of the mountain dangling from the tunnel's ceiling. Dust clouded the air of the tunnel, all the movements of the boulder shaking it up. Superman entered the main room of the temple, which was virtually an empty room except for the scrolls and text in the middle. His face scrunched up in disgust and he turned away briefly before turning back into the room with a grim look on his face. The floor was littered with the dead members of the order; their lifeless corpses lay on the ground clothed in brown robes, a thin layer of dust blanketing their bodies. Each with a bullet hole in their head.

Superman lowered his head in silent prayer. He quickly gathered all of the texts and scrolls and swiftly exited the temple flying in a blue and red blur to his and Lois's apartment in Metropolis. He returned a few seconds later knocking down a few trees and gathering them up. He then re-entered the temple and systematically began to build an alter for each monk, placing them each on their own alter. He then used his heat vision to light each one and just stood there, once again in silent prayer as the fallen holy might now find peace.

Kelly's Apartment, Gotham… 

Randy sputtered, "Wha-huh?" 'Damn I was hoping the chit wouldn't notice that' Randy thought.

Kelly looked down at her now spit and Jack Daniels covered cake in dismay.

"Aww that was my last piece." She huffed. She got up from the chair at the bar and dumped the cake in the sink than began to wash the plate.

Randy just continued to stare at her with confused eyes.

She returned her attention to Randy with a smile on her face, "Sooo, Superpowers, huh? Must be cool."

Randy narrowed his eyes a bit, "I don't know what you're talking about. I saved you that's all, but you have quite the imagination. A..YAWN..time for sleep." Randy gets up and heads for the couch.

"Oh come on! It's not I haven't seen a superhero before; the world's littered with them. I just want to know." She starts to whine a little bit.

"I'm not a bloody superhero!" Randy growls.

Randy sighs when he see her flinch, "I don't know what I am, pet. Or how I can do what I do, I just can. I don't want to talk about it, and I don't want it to be a big deal, I'll be gone in the morning and you won't have to worry about me." Randy then turned towards the living room and stepped into it, going towards the closest couch and just landing in a tired heap.

Kelly watched confused as Randy faked instant sleep. She always got a little star struck when it came to heroes, but it's only because she believes the world needs them. During world war two her Grandfather was saved by Hawkman, and she was saved once by Batman himself. If it weren't for heroes she wouldn't even be alive. So of course she got a little star struck when she met them.

"Not a hero, huh? Then why did you save me tonight?"

Randy didn't answer he just stayed silent, his face buried in the plush leather couch.

"I'll see you in the morning, and don't go running off. Let me at least make you breakfast before you leave." She said as she headed towards her room. She entered her room and turned around, closing it slowly.

"Goodnight." She called out softly, before closing the door.

Batcave… 

Bruce entered the Batcave not surprised to see Superman standing in the middle of it.

"Barbara told me you were coming." Bruce said as he walked deeper into the batcave.

Superman stood there with the scrolls and texts under his arm, his face still set in a grim state, as it's only been minutes since the funeral for the monks.

Superman nods his head, "Bruce."

Bruce noticed that something was wrong, and wanted to glare at Superman for bringing in his troubles, but his own worry over Dick and need for information on Spike made him not bother with it.

"Is this all there is?" He asked as he took the texts from Superman.

"Yeah." Superman sighed, "I read it on my way over, some interesting stuff in their Bruce."

Bruce nodded as he went through the texts.

"It's says some interesting things in there. Redemption, cleaning of souls…resurrections."

Bruce nods as he reads the texts.

Superman sighs and turns around, and says "See you around, Bruce" before taking off into the sky.

As Superman flew off Tim Drake aka Robin came out of the shadows with Cassandra Cain aka Batgirl following behind.

Tim removes his mask, "Big blue seemed off tonight."

Bruce just kept reading, but gave an "Mmmhmm" as his only response.

Tim sighed, "Well ok, I'm going off to check up on Dick." Tim then went into the vault and changed out of his suit and into normal clothing, he emerged from the vault a few minutes and later and left the batcave.

Cassandra stood transfixed into front of the computer, her mask held in her hands, as her chocolate brown eyes scanned the screen.

"Bad guy?" She asked Bruce, unsure if she herself knew. Something about the look in his eyes, something beyond the sneer on his face that told her maybe he wasn't.

Bruce looked up and over to her, and then at the picture.

Kelly's apartment… 

Randy's sleep was restless as he was constantly turning and flipping, trying to find a comfortable place, but never succeeding. He finally opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, he was tired and he felt it down to his bones. A sense of wanting to just melt into some comfortable warmth, but never succeeding to do so. Randy rose from the couch and stiffly walked over to the other couch, something he didn't notice before was a curtain behind the couch. He opened it and there was a balcony, he was separated from the balcony by a sliding glass door. He decided that he needed the air and opened it.

Randy step out of the apartment and let the cool air surround him like a blanket, he wasn't used to his body being warm yet. He constantly felt hot, too hot, but he new he wasn't sick. Not in the way of physical illness. He walked towards the wall of the balcony and leaned up against it. His hands digging into the top of the stonewall.

Smack! The sound of something heavy falling behind, Randy turns around instantly surprised to see what appears to be scrolls on the ground before him.

"Everything about the crystal is there." Comes a gravely voice from the shadows of the balcony.

Randy looks over to the shadows and even in it's darkness he can see the outline of the Batman.

"The crystal?" Randy asks.

"The jewelry you wore."

Randy's face takes on a stunned look, eyes startled, his mouth slightly agape.

"How did you…"

"I know." Was Batman's reply.

"How did you find me?" Randy asked as he neared the scrolls.

"I'm a detective."

Randy just nods, 'of course' Randy thought, 'The world's greatest one at that, of course he found me.'

"The jewel was used centuries ago to cleanse the sins in a persons soul. It could also be used to destroy hellspawn by channeling a pure soul. It was seen as a copout by an order of monks. The church was using it to cleanse some of their more…devious members."

Batman was silent for a bit, "Everything that was evil about you is gone, your demon, your sins, everything cleaned." His words were almost bitter, it was obvious he found this to be a cheat to his responsibilities.

"You have a second chance, so I'll let you stay in my city if that's what you choose." Batman continued on, he jumped onto the ledge of the Balcony's wall and turned away from Randy.

"Everything you do will be on your soul now." He explained.

Randy looked back down at the papers and heard one last thing from Batman.

"I'll be watching."

Randy's head shot up, but Batman was nowhere to be seen. Randy returned his attention to the scrolls on the ground, and he wondered if he could now rest.

TBC…


	5. The night calls me a knight and vengeanc

**Blood Knights in Gotham**

**Note: Reader Rock, But Reviewers RULE!. I'd like to thankSquirlyForSpike for all her help! Thanks partner! And everyone should go read her stories "Can't help but See" and "Silence is Golden." Two very awesome fics. Just In case anyones confused in my story "Randy" is what Spike calls himself as he starts his new life in Gotham.**

**Chapter five: The night calls me a knight and vengeance will be mine.**

Randy heard Kelly enter the kitchen; he heard the slight clang of the pan being moved from its place beneath the stove. The suction like snap of the refrigerator door opening, and it's various contents being shuffled around. He listened quietly as the cabinet door was opened up and something was removed, and winced slightly when he heard the sharp wooden thud of the cabinet swinging close. He felt the warm stripes of golden light from the morning's dawn crisscrossing over his body from cracks and openings in the balcony curtain. He was quite aware of the activity, but Randy didn't move a muscle till he smelled the aroma of the sizzling eggs wafting through the apartment.

Randy sat up from the couch, the contents left by Batman the night before held against his chest like a safety blanket. Holding for dear life as if all the promises of a clean soul were to disappear the moment he let go, and he'd be back in that dark hell, counting the seconds, dreading the minutes, looking forward to the hours.

The leather shifted beneath his weight as he moved to find a comfortable sitting position. He let out a small sigh as he sunk into the couch. Never in a long time has Randy had such a satisfying night of sleep. Perhaps it was the couch, or the fact that someone was being decent to him and giving him a place to stay. Seeing someone's eyes light up like Dawn's once did when he told her horror stories, but this time they lit up for such a more satisfying reasons. They lit up because he was special, because he could do things others couldn't and because he saved her life. He never knew how wonderful that could make a person feel, but last night he saved two people's lives and he's never felt more needed, he never felt more peaceful, like his mind and its troubles were put to rest. He never felt more right till he saved their lives. He briefly wondered if that's what Buffy and Angel feel every time they save a life, or if they were so restricted by duty and selfish searches of redemptions that they saw it as nothing more then a jail sentences being served.

A plate slipped in front of Randy with two eggs and a piece of toast with jelly on it. He looked up into the warm eyes of Kelly as she looked down, a soft and playful smile on her face.

"Morning, sleepy."

Kelly looked down at the papers, scrolls, and text being held by Randy. Her eyes turned questioning, but her smile didn't fade.

"What are those?"

_Dick Grayson's old room, Wayne Manor…_

When Dick gained consciousness he was instantly bombarded with images, fire with metal ripping and contorting around him. The flames bearing against his skin as the horrible screech echoed throughout his ears. His body in constant spinning motion, the last thoughts before being submerged in the icy lake was 'Barbara' and the images and thoughts that went along brought on a sense of longing and sadness, then the water hit him. Flashes of seeing the water flood and extinguish the flames, gasping, struggling, and fearing his fate was sealed. The utter silence of being trapped in the water, his heart beating was the only sound he now heard. His skin becoming tighter and muscle constricting in the icy cold water. One last image before everything went black for him, a flash of neon blond hair penetrating the water followed by a body clothed in black.

'Spike?' Dick thought as the memory flooded to the front of his mind, 'It was Spike who saved me?'

It was then when the memories and images no longer took hold did he feel the heat of a soft warm body molded against his side, a slender yet strong arm. A female's arm, but a fighter's arm too.

Dick slowly opened his eyes and thanked God for the dim lighting in his room. He looked down to his side and there on top of the comforter snuggled into his side was Barbara. Still wearing her glasses, her face at rest was peaceful as if when she let all things go, being close to him brought some semblance of peace. 'I'll have to remember that.' He thought as he smirked. Dick brushed away the wisps of her beautiful red hair and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

As soon as he finished kissing her forehead he heard someone clearing his throat. Dick turned his head to see a groggy but smirking Tim Drake sprawled on a chair by his bedside.

"Morning, loverboy." Tim said in a low raspy voice.

"Tim!" Dick's voice was slightly high pitched, saying his little brothers name in surprise. "So…uh…how are things?" It sounded lame even to Dick, 'Oh you just saw me kissing my girlfriend while we're on break, even though she told me no kissing under any circumstances, so how are things.'

"Five bucks."

"Five bucks what?" Dick asked confused, he just woke up from a car crash and people are randomly spitting out numbers.

"Ok Twenty bucks." Tim bargained.

Dick's widened in shock, "Twenty bucks what!"

Tim sighed, "Fine, fifty bucks and I won't tell Barbara your stealing kisses in her sleep."

"What…uh…ah…huh." Dick was at a loss of words, 'were did Time learn bargaining skills from? He just starts demanding things before a person realizes what's going on…oh right, Batman. Duh, it's were I learned it from.' Dick thought.

"You know it doesn't really matter since I've been awake before you were, Dick." Barbara said without opening her eyes, her hold around Dick slightly tightened.

"Barbara!" Dick slightly squeaked before regaining his composure, "Uh..Heyyy." He tried to come off smooth, but he still looked sickly and well…he just squeaked, you really can't save yourself when you're Nightwing the son of Batman and you squeak, it's just going to be held over your head.

Barbara opened her eyes and looked up at Dick. She pushed herself up and rested on one elbow so she was eye level with Dick. She gave Dick a quick and softly passionate kiss, a distinctive "Ewwww." Could be heard in the background from Tim.

When Barbara pulled back she said, "Ok, the breaks over and it will stay over as long as you do two things."

"Anything." Dick replied, this time a distinctive imitation of a whip snapping could be heard in the background.

"One, don't die, and two, don't do anything stupid when it comes to us." It was simple request really.

Tim got up from the chair and headed towards the door, "Well, I guess the break will be back on this afternoon, because I doubt Dick can hold to the latter. Ow!" Tim's head bobbed as a book slammed into it.

Dick rolled his eyes, and mumbled, "Boy wonder my ass, couldn't even stop a book from hitting his head. When I was Robin I could stop a book."

Barbara rolled her eyes at the both of them, and leaned up and kissed Dick on the cheek. "Of course you would have, you were a way better Robin."

Dick smirked and closed his eyes as he leaned back into his pillows. When Dick closed his eyes Barbara started signaling Tim mouthing the words "I was just kidding. You are the way better Robin." Then gave him a wink.

Tim smiled and left the room with a bit of bounce in his step.

Barbara sighed and snuggled back into Dick, 'Boys, they're such babies.'

_Kelly's Apartment…_

"A gift." Randy replied to Kelly's question.

"A gift?" Kelly responded incredulously. "A gift from who?"

"Batman." The reply was simple, short, and to the point.

"Batman!" Kelly squealed with excitement, "Batman was _here_ last night! That's _so_ cool!"

Randy could only smile at her excitement, he remembered when Dawn would get excited like that over some namby pamby boy band's newest music video, or some rot.

"You're a regular Superhero groupie aren't you, luv? Got Superman's poster over your bed don't ya, pet?"

Kelly stuck her tongue out at Randy and went to sit down.

"Anyways, this right here." He nods to the scrolls and text now placed right next to him. "Explains why I can do what I can do."

"Well, why can you?" Kelly inquired.

Randy was silent for a minute, unsure if he should just reveal his life story. I mean he's known this girl for a whole night and most of that was sleeping. She seemed innocent enough, and good enough, but appearances have been known to be deceiving. Randy remembers how harmless Doc seemed. Randy noticed her imploring gaze now turned into sympathetic puppy eyes, which only made him scowl. He sat back and wondered if he should tell her, in the end it all came down to one thing…he was a sucker for puppy eyes.

"Well, pet it all started in1880…" He began.

_40 minutes later…_

"So you used to be a vampire?" Kelly asked.

Randy sat back leisurely.

"Yeah."

"Then for 120 years you killed people."

"Uh huh."

"Then you fell in with love with your mortal enemy."

"Sounds right."

"Then you got a soul, because you did something really _really_ bad."

"Mmhmm."

"Then you sacrificed yourself to save her, and ultimately the world."

Randy nods.

"Then you were trapped in a black nothingness for months, counting the seconds of eternity."

Randy nods again.

"Then some all together higher force decided to purge you of all the evil inside you and sent you here last night? Where, as a side effect and only way for you to survive the trip has fused your physical body with your very soul? Making you somehow a balance between the spiritual and physical within yourself?" Kelly asked in a long breath.

"Sounds about right, Kitten."

"Do you want a job?"

_Batcave…_

Bruce Wayne was sitting at the Batcaves computer, going over some case files. His face intense as always as he studied each case, his most important case however was the search for the recently escaped Killer Croc. Bruce's eyes darkened at the thought of Killer Croc trying to take his boy away. Too much of that has happened in Bruce's past, his parents were of course the most obvious lost, but he also lost Jason his second Robin to the Joker, and the same maniac crippled Barbara. Now Killer Croc's aiming for his other boy…he won't have it.

"So it was Killer Croc." Dick's voice pierced the silence.

"He was the one who shot off the launcher." Dick continued.

"Yeah." Bruce's reply was short and to the point, as always he hardly gave further explanation.

Dick sighed and sat down, still weak from the crash and being sick.

"Was it really Spike who pulled me out? That's what I remember before I passed out."

"Yes."

"I mean was it really Spike? Was it really him, and what are we going to do about it? What should we do?" It was awkward for Dick to seek guidance from Bruce, he was his own man now, and he has his own city that he protects at night, where he makes the decisions. Then again a case of a resurrected vampire possibly with a soul who saved the world but has a history of killing is not an easy case. A lot of variables.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Dick inquired.

Bruce didn't turn from his screen as he explained, "It's him all right, but he's not a vampire anymore. He wore some mystical jewel that channeled his human soul into a form of…energy. He used the energy to destroy the Hellmouth in California. Apparently it cleansed him of his demon, and relieved his soul of the sins. So we do nothing. There's nothing to do." Bruce said calmly.

Dick sigh in wonderment, "Wow…imagine. To you have all your burdens relieved."

Bruce looked over to Dick for a minute, studying him. "Yeah."

They both lapsed into silence, thinking over their own pasts, wishing for their own burdens to be lifted, both real and the ones created in their minds.

After a while Dick finally spoke again, "So I heard you stayed by my bed for most of the night."

"No." Came Bruce's short reply.

Dick smirked, "Well that's what Alfred told me."

"He's lying."

"Alfred?" Dick said with humor and a bit of a chuckle in his voice.

"Go to your room." Bruce ordered.

"Are you trying to make a joke?" Dick asked.

Bruce looked up his face serious as he thought about it. "No I wasn't, go to your room, you're annoying me."

_Kelly's apartment…_

Randy's eyes bulged slightly, his face took on a look of surprise.

"You want me to…what?…A job?"

"Well yeah, a job. I told you I own a bar. Well, as you know, Bludhaven isn't the safest place, and well, bartenders tend to not stay for long…one way or another. I kind of need a bartender slash bouncer."

Randy's eyebrows scrunched together, "I don't know, pet. I really need to." 'What do I need to do? Go back to Buffy? Disrupt her life? Go to Angel? Get killed because he's a wanker?'

"Look you don't have a passport, or a green card, or any legal papers of any kind. I mean not everyone's going to get the "I was once a vampire story"."

Randy sat back and ran his hands over his face thinking. 'Well, what do I have to bloody lose? Might be better this way, new town, new people. See if I can do that moving on thing Angel was trying. Maybe I already did in that bloody void.'

"Come on! Come on!" Kelly's voice broke through his thought bubble. "Please! Pretty please. I never hired an ex-vampire before." She whined like a child.

Randy smirked, "Ok, pet. You got yourself a bartender."

_Bludhaven Blues, two weeks later…_

Randy entered the empty bar wearing a pair of blue jeans, a white shirt, with a blue button up over it, and some brown mountain climbing boots. His hands in his pockets as he strolled in with a smirk on his face.

"Well, well. What are you sods up too?" His voice wasn't the cockney northerner accent that he adopted a hundred years ago, but his more refined softer accent he had as William. Although it had more presence along with his confidence.

A big bulking black man with a scar over his left eye and a cue ball baldhead behind the bar looked up with a smile on his face. "Hey, pasty, finally showing up for work?" He said with a Cajun drawl.

"Pasty!" Randy said with mock indignation, "I'll have you know my skin is porcelain not pasty, Smokey."

A curvy Hispanic woman with long mahogany colored hair wearing a short black skirt and a black t shirt with the Bludhaven Blues logo on it came out of the back. A mischievous cat-like smile on her face.

"Hola, Randy." She walked up to Randy and gave him a peck on the cheek. Her hand resting on the small of his back as she turned to face Smokey.

"Hola, Maria." Randy said with a smile, "Now tell Smokey here my skin is porcelain and not pasty."

She turned back to Randy, "I don't know, I think it's more of a creamy egg shell white, but you're still handsome either way, Randy." Maria said with a wink and sauntered over to one of the tables and began to clean it off.

Randy and Smokey smirked to each other before watching Maria walk over to the table and clean, her nice round bottom swaying behind.

"Hate to see her leave." Smokey began.

"Love to watch her go." Randy finished.

"I can you hear you two, you know!" Maria called out.

"We know." Randy and Smokey called back in unison.

Kelly walked out of the and gave Randy a smile, "You're late for work."

"That's what I said." Smokey put in as he started cleaning glasses.

"Late for work…has anyone been in here tonight?" Randy asked already knowing the answer.

"Well, no, people don't come in till about 10 you know that."

"Well, it's 9:30 and I'm not late for anything." Randy smirked.

Kelly huffed and threw a balled up rag at Randy, "Go and get changed, perv."

Randy shook his head in amusement as he rose from the seat, "What ever you say, Groupie."

Over the last two weeks Randy has formed as pretty tight bond with the only staff members brave and loyal enough to stick it out with Kelly at Bludhaven Blues. Not to mention a close friendship with Kelly, the girl was understanding and caring and for whatever reason she didn't judge him. He wondered why the Scoobies treated him the way they did and the way the Blues staff treats him. Was it because he was human? Was it easier to make friends as a human? Maybe the fact that they were never there for his dark days had something to do with it, or were the Scoobies too held up in their black and white moral values to forgive? Randy knew that they never totally forgave Angel or even accepted him, something that made him feel better, it wasn't him they couldn't accept, it was themselves. Perhaps they had good reason, could you be friends with your best friend's murderer? Of course not, but Spike with a soul and Spike without a soul are two different people, and towards the end, even without a soul he was a different person. Maybe Spike with a soul and without wasn't that different, same harsh attitude, same indifference to the deeds he committed. But there was a change in values, a need to be there and do the right thing. Should his soul have been punished for the deeds he committed as a demon? No, he realized. No, they shouldn't have. He made friends here, two of them in two weeks and Kelly has been like family. The way she accepted him, and let him live in her apartment, let him get his grounding in the world. He was surprised really, surprised how easy it was to be connected with people, how easy it was to be someone's friend and want to protect them, want to hear about their family, and their problems and help. He never knew connections could be formed so fast, but he already knew that to lose one of his new found friends would place a hollow spot in his heart.

Randy came out of a the back a few minutes later sporting the Bludhaven Blues t shirt like the rest of the staff, like the rest of his friends. There were a few people at the bar now and some sitting in the seats, that night's band was setting up in the stage placed in the corner of the bar.

Randy smiled; it kind of felt good to be just another human.

_An hour later, just outside Bludhaven Blues…_

Dick Grayson just finished his nightly Nightwing patrol and what soon has become a ritual for him, he's headed towards Bludhaven Blues, one of the few bars in town that isn't doing anything illegal on the side, but not just that. He goes every night to see Spike, or Randy as he now goes by. Barbara only halfway understands his almost obsession with knowing Randy, but that's more then Dick understands himself.

It's not like it was the first time his life has been saved, every hero's needed help, he, Tim, Bruce, Clark, Hal, and the rest have all needed saving by another, a teammate, a friend. Why was this so different to him?

He entered the Bludhaven Blues just like he has for the last two weeks. The Bar was crowded this time at night, the air smoky as he entered, the loud fast-paced band playing their untalented hearts out.

He walked up to the bar, his jacket pulled tight around him.

"Hey, Randy." He said as he sat upon one of the bar stoles.

"Oi! Dick! How's it going, mate?" Randy said as he looked briefly before cleaning off a new glass.

"Good, good."

"The usual, mate?" Randy asked as he placed a freshly cleaned glass in front of Dick.

"Yeah."

Randy pulled out a bottle and started to pour it up, "So I gotta ask, what's a bloke like you doing? Coming in here every night, at the same time, sitting on the same chair, and always starting up conversations with the same guy. Me. Now I know I'm damn good looking, but I hate to say it much to your disappointment, and the disappointment of that guy over there." Stopped and pointed to the back of the bar, a man with a green haltor top on and big loop ear rings and some Jackie O glasses waved at them.

Dick's eye bugged out, "What! No. No I'm not! Not that there's anything wrong with being—is that the guy from Little Nicky?"

Randy and Dick both turned to see the guy rubbing on his nipple, they both shivered in pain.

"You know, I don't have a problem with someone being a poof, that's their business, but some things are just wrong." Randy stated with disgust.

"Like a grown man wearing a halter top and rubbing his nipple in public?"

"Bloody right."

Randy moved over to a new costumer and started taking his order.

"You know, I'd like to know that myself." A female voice said from behind Dick.

He jumped slightly, cursing that their being so many people in the bar that he can't even tell when someone is sneaking up on him. He turned around to see Kelly standing right behind, arms crossed over her chest, her eyes scanning him suspiciously.

"Uh…know what?" Dick decided to play dumb.

"I'd like to know why you're in here every night, specifically talking to Randy."

She's protective of Randy, he realized. A bit overly protective he surmised. 'She knows!' Dick figured out.

"He seems like a cool guy is all. I got done with work came in here and we chatted seemed like he could be a friend, and the bars cleaner than most in Bludhaven. Felt like a win win to me. Talk to a friend, have a good beer then go home to my girlfriend." Dick shrugged, playing it as cool as possible, though he liked it better when explaining things as Nightwing, he could just punch someone in the face if he wasn't explaining it right.

She kept her gaze on him for a bit; the story didn't seem to dampen the flames of suspicion at all.

"Mmhmm." She said before turning around and walking towards the back.

"Um…yeah, Bye." He said slightly nervously. He shakes his head, 'And they say Batman's scary, I'd rather face Batman then a woman in mamma bear protective mode. They scratch.' He thought.

All of a sudden a loud crash was heard. BOOM! The front door of the bar splintered and flew off its hinges. The door flew right over the bar and smashed into the wall of bottles. Randy ducked and leapt to the side, missing the soaring shards of glass. Dick jumped out of his chair and did a back flip, also getting out of the way of the shards.

Randy got back and scanned the area, Smokey and Maria were on the other side of the bar, but Kelly got hit by the door as it flew towards the bar. She was lying on the ground holding her bleeding arm.

"Kelly!" Randy screamed as he jumped over the bar and raced to her side.

"Ouch! Fuck, it hurts!" Kelly gritted through her teeth.

Randy was about to ask to let him see how bad it was when he heard a familiar voice,

"Well, Well Stickman. He meet again."

Randy and Dick looked up simultaneously to see Killer Croc standing at the door.

Randy growled a growl that would make any demon proud as he leapt into the air at Killer Croc. This time Killer Croc was ready and pulled out a baseball bat that was being held from behind him and swung it at Randy, smashing him in the ribs. Randy flew back and directly into Dick, they both tumbled to the floor and when they got up they Saw Killer Croc holding a struggling Kelly in his arms.

"You want your woman back?" He said with a sneer, "Then come and get her!" Killer Croc growled and ran into the back room.

Randy and Dick both began to chase after Croc, racing into the back they saw Croc turn the corner with a struggling Kelly in his arms and followed him, this continued on, twisting and turning around corners. They finally stopped when they saw the fire exit was just swinging close. They raced towards it, pushing the limits of their speed. Randy jumped though the door, phasing through it like he's done so many times in the past two week. He turned his head to right and then to the left, unsure of where to go. When Dick finally got of the door and did a quick look and already knew which direction.

"That way!" Dick yelled pointing in the right direction.

He and Randy sprinted down the alleyway trying to get to Killer Croc, but as soon as they turned the corner they stopped dead in the tracks.

There Kelly was lying on the ground with her neck contorted in an impossible angle.

You could see the devastation in Randy's eyes, the way the world was falling apart as his blue eyes became glossy, tears spilling freely as he walked closer to Kelly. Hoping against hope that what he thinks happened hasn't.

He kneeled by her still form, her chest wasn't moving up and down, the first thing you look for, the hope and possibility that they're alive, but her skin has already taken on a blue tinge. Randy dropped to his knees, his only family in so long, the only person who hasn't been judgmental of him, hadn't excluded him was there…dead.

Randy gathered her in his arms and began to weep uncontrollably, the alley silent except for his echoing weeping as he held her in his arms, his body shaking as he lets the tears flow freely, His muscles were tense in his back and his sobs and soft prayers to God were filed with anguish.

Dick could only stand behind him, unsure of what to do, but wanting nothing more than to be there and comfort him, after all he knows this pain too.

Finally Randy leaned his head back and screamed into the night, a scream made up of anguish and hatred; mixed with a promise vengeance. The kind of scream that chills your soul. It echoed across the city, reaching limits beyond any siren, any cry for help. The members of the Arkham Asylum were driven wild by it; Batman doing his patrol looked up and sympathized with it. Batgirl and Robin halted themselves in the middle of a fight to listen to the ever-tortured scream. The very bowls of hell became unrualy as the pain penetrated their flames. It was the kind of pain that made angels weep…and they did.

It was then Dick understood what he needed to do; he understood why he was driven to Randy every night.

He walked up behind Randy and placed his hand on his shoulder.

Randy looked up; his tears cascading down his face.

Dick looked down into the man who saved his two weeks ago, into the eyes of the man who was as once the second most feared vampire known to history.

Dick saw something in Randy's eyes, the hatred bubbling inside them, the need to do something about it, the drive and determination, now Dick knew right then and there. That he was no longer staring into the eyes of a former vampire, he was looking into the eyes of a…brother. Both Nightwing's and Dick's new brother. His brother in an all too familiar pain.

**TBC…**


	6. The Wraith

**Blood Knights in Gotham**

**Notes: Thanks to the lovely SqurilyforSpike for her help on my fic. Thank you Partner. Every must check her story out "Silence is Golden." **

**Chapter 6: The Wraith**

'She's so light' Randy thought as he carried her in his arms towards the bar. The tears still fresh on his face. He turned back to see a morose Dick following behind him. His face held the same expression as Randy's. A hopelessness, a since of failure. Randy saw a shadow fall over Dick's eyes as he was walking behind him; perhaps it was the shadow of a pipe or one of the alleys fire escapes but it didn't matter, what caused the shadows wasn't the point. What the shadows created on Dick's face was. He knew just knew that Dick looked familiar, but he could never place it. He was under the water for quite a bit trying to pull that metal apart. He had the time to study Nightwing's face, and putting the pieces together he realized who Dick was.

'He's probably keeping tabs on me for Batman.' Randy thought almost bitterly. 'He'll be bloody watching! Was he watching when Kelly died!' His mind roared, it reminded him when he was Spike and the demon would scream its rage at what it felt to be an unjust situation. Of course an unjust situation to the demon was not eating people, but those are just details.

Dick looked up to see Randy inspecting him with a critical eye. 'Shit' He thought as he stood there. He didn't like the way Randy can look into you, see through you and know what makes you tick. It unnerved Dick. The past two weeks he's seen Randy do with it several customers, and Dick realized it's what must makes him such a formidable opponent. He can see through you, and know what you like, your ticks, and your doubts. Because he listens, he watches, he studies his opponent with out making it look like he does. 'Jesus he reminds me of Bruce…but with a personality.' Dick thought.

"What?" Dick wondered as he noticed through his mental conclusions, Randy was still staring at him.

He saw Randy's face slowly melt into a stony-like emotionless mask. His eyes and his eyes alone showing his sadness for Kelly's death. "Nothin'". He voice was brisk with a completely different accent, a rough cockney accent. Upon further thought it sounded like he was from a completely different part of London now.

Randy turned his back on Dick and strode into the club. Dick held back and waited till Randy was deep in the club. He then opened his com link.

"Oracle." His voice was low.

"Nightwing?" The Robotic voice replied, "Your patrol was done an hour ago."

Dick sighed, "I know but I have some bad news. Kelly Sanders is dead. She was killed tonight by Killer Croc."

"The same Kelly Sanders that—"

"Yeah." Dick cut her off. "Tell Batman I'll be there soon with a report I have business to take care of."

"I understand." The robotic voice replied, yet you could feel the sympathy radiating from it somehow.

"Nightwing out." And with that Dick closed the com link.

_Inside the club same time…_

Randy's movements became slower as walked down the corridors of the back of Bludhaven Blues. The tears once again falling down his face and the stern emotionless mask he mustered for Dick's sake was dissolving. He passed the final corner and turned it. God he felt like he was in the cave again, everything burning up his skin turning to dust, as his insides exploded. He felt like the love of his life was telling him she loved him just because he was dying. He felt like a beam of light was bursting from his chest. It was the darkness again he's going back to the darkness.

Maria looks up and releases a blood-curdling scream, "Kelly!"

Randy can't hold himself up anymore…and so he falls with Kelly in his arms. Always falling just in time to fail the girl.

_An hour later just out side Bludhaven Blues…_

Randy watched in silence as the ambulance drove off with Kelly's corpse inside. Smokey and Maria huddle close to him, all taking some sort of comfort in each other's presence. As much comfort as they can, which was close to nil. Smokey's arms are wrapped around Maria as she rests her head on his chest, sobbing. Her hand holding on to Randy's with an iron grip, her nails unknowingly digging into his now bleeding flesh. Randy didn't mind the pain. He was used to it by now it was almost soothing.

"Let me take you home, Maria." Smokey pain laced voice broke their silence.

"Ok." Her voice was small and distant. Maria's hand squeezed tighter on Randy's.

"Randy?" She asked quietly.

He turned to look at them both, his glassy eyes shining brightly in the darkness of the city, the darkness of the moment.

"I need to walk home, pet. Need some fresh air. I'll be over tomorrow, yeah? Over to both your places." Randy said, stroking her cheek lightly with his free hand.

Maria nodded and untangled herself from Smokey's embrace. She moved closerto Randy, her arms slipping around him and squeezed him tightly. She released him with a peck on the cheek and said "good-bye" before walking over to Smokey's car.

"Good-bye, my friend." Smokey said gently. "I'll see you tomorrow." Randy and Smokey gave each other a brief hug, before Smokey went over to his car and drove off with Maria.

The streets were empty now; the Bludhaven police were long gone 'Bloody pathetic lot.' Randy thought. 'Worse then the Sunnydale police'. The bystanders and on lookers wanting to see every gruesome detail of someone's death. Watching in morbid fascination as they penetrate such a private moment. The death of a friend, a family member, a lover, they invade with no remorse or caring and then feel the same disgust when it happens to them. Long gone were they, only police tape and silence as Randy stood there on a cold damp street, in a cold damned city.

He heard the click clack and splish splash of Dick's shoes on the wet and puddle infested pavement as he walked up to Randy. Dick's hands were in his pockets, a nervous and sad expression on his face, unsure on how to help a friend who wasn't yet a friend. Unsure if he could do anything to help.

Randy's voice grew bitter and his accent slipped back in the one he's used for the last 120 years, the one he feels most comfortable with. "What do you want, Nightwing?"

Dick's face held no shock when Randy revealed that he knew the truth of his identity. Dick knew when Randy stared at him in the alleyway that his secret was secret no more.

"Here to check up on me like a good little birdie? Thought you were your own man what with protecting your own city and all, but I guess you can't take the Robin out of the boy wonder since you're playing eyes for the Bat." Randy continued in his Dick's silence.

"He doesn't know I'm here." Dick's voice raised in anger, "Well he does…but that's not why I'm here. I swear! I'm not here to check up on you."

"Last time I spoke with him he told me simply, that he'd be watching me." Randy added bitterly, it's not that he had a right for Batman to trust him. Batman didn't even know him, but he was so sick of not being trusted that it hardly mattered who was doing it anymore. He was angry, pissed and he wanted revenge.

"Yeah…well…He's a dick. You get used to it. You have too."

Randy turned around sharply, "Just what are you doing here, _Dick_!"

Dick Grayson was at a loss of words for a minute, it was the same question that he's been plaguing himself everyday for the last two weeks. _What_ was he doing here?

"I- I don't know. I guess I wanted to say…thanks. Thanks for pulling me out of the lake."

Randy raised his hands in disbelief, "Well, you're bloody welcome! It was an honor truly, your thanks and gratitude has made me forget that my friend just bloody died!" His voice dripping with sarcasm.

Dick's anger began to rise, 'He's as bad as Roy' Dick thought, and if anyone could get under his skin it was Roy. "Look! I don't need your crap! I'm not your enemy, Killer Croc is. I know who you are, what you were and what you can do. I'll help you."

"I don't need your soddin help." Randy snarled and turned around sharply.

Dick couldn't let Randy go in this state he was likely to kill, and he couldn't allow that. It goes against the oath that he took, it goes against his beliefs, but most of all he couldn't let the person who saved his life damn his soul all over again.

Dick reached out and placed his hand on Randy's shoulder. Randy turned quickly and although Dick should have expected it, he was caught off guard when the fist landed on his jaw. Dick stumbled back a few feet and started rubbing his jaw. He looked up at Randy with pointed eyes then smirked 'Well, this should be fun.'

Dick and Randy started trading blows. Dick noticed that Randy's blows were sloppy, his style was commonly seen in bar fights, no real finesse or precision just brute force. Randy swung wildly at Dick, but he ducked and rolled to side. Dick jumped up from the roll and did a back flip over Randy's head. Before Dick landed on the ground he flipped far enough to plant his feet in Randy's chest, then using his hands, he spring boarded himself off the ground and did another back flip, landing on his feet.

Randy flew back several feet because of the kick to his chest. After he stopped sliding on the ground, he got back up and charged Dick again. Dick ducked to the right to avoid Randy's tackle, but Randy expected it and kneed him in the abdomen before continuing past him. He turned around quickly punched downward as Dick was hunched over, going for the blow that would knock Dick unconscious. Dick's forearm rose up and blocked the strike; he answered back with an uppercut, which caught Randy just underneath the jaw. The uppercut would have knocked most people out, but Randy was still standing and only slightly dazed, Dick was surprised. He expected the fight to be over with that blow.

Dick starts attacking with a series of blows, most of them were getting blocked but he's getting a few good hits in. Bam! He socks Randy across the temple. Randy crumbles to the ground, but yet again…he was conscious. Randy rises up from the ground silently and smoothly like a panther, his eyes narrow and Dick clearly sees every muscle in his body tense, before Randy leaps at Dick.

Dick does a back flip, his feet connecting with Randy's head, causing Randy's forward momentum to completely reverse as he was now wildly flipping backwards himself. Dick lands on his feet gracefully just in time to see Randy land on his face, but once again…Randy rises from the ground.

'Jesus, he doesn't stop.' Dick thought.

When Randy got up, he smirked and cracked his neck. "Well that was just…neat. My turn!"

Randy charges Dick again, and Dick strikes out with a quick snap kick only for Randy to grab his foot. With a grin Randy flips Dick over onto his back. Dick's stunned at the action, he didn't expect for his kick to get blocked. Dick gets up and starts a rapid-fire attack consisting of punches and kicks, only Randy blocks, ducks, and side steps every one. Randy returns the attack with just as much fury but his attacks were no longer wild. They were smooth and graceful and in control, they hit with precision, they were executed with finesse. And Dick is having trouble blocking the moves, the switch in fighting style throwing him off base completely.

Randy lands a hard punch to Dick's stomach. He grabs the back of Dick's jacket and pushes down as his knee rises up. Bam! His knee connects with Dick's stomach. Bam! He knees Dick in the stomach again and finally. Bam! One last knee to Dick's stomach before Randy jumps up into the air his fist rising above him, and then he brings it down hard on Dick's kidneys. Dick lets out scream of pain before being pushed away from Randy. Dick in all his agony rolls and brings himself upright, once again on his feet.

Dick's breathing is slightly ragged as the pain courses through his body. He was completely open to Randy's attacks. Randy knew everything he was throwing at him and that's when he realized, the first half of their battle Randy was studying his movements and his fighting style. Accepting the blows and leaving himself open so he knew how to fight his opponent. His years as a demon must have toughened him up a lot because most people wouldn't have survived Dick's attacks while letting themselves be so open, let alone come back with full force and gain the advantage.

Dick forced himself to stand upright and stared Randy down. Randy stared back unblinking as he let the grin spread across his face.

"That was fun." Randy said gleefully as he rubbed his jaw.

"Yeah, yeah it was." Dick let out a short laugh followed by an "Ow!" as his hand clutched his stomach.

"Want a beer?" Randy asked.

_Kelly's apartment…_

Randy and Dick sat on the couches facing each other switching back and forth from sipping their cold beers to holding them against their sorest spots.

Dick rests his beer on his stomach as he leans back. "We'll get him. Batman, Robin, Batgirl, or me, we'll get him." he spoke softly.

Randy was resting his elbows on his knees as he sat on the edge of the couch. "I want him." Randy's tone held no argument as he rested the beer against his forehead.

"You can't just…get him." Dick tried to explain.

"Why the bloody hell not?" Randy didn't raise his voice; it was stayed neutral and yet became inquisitive.

"It's not your job."

"And if I make it my job?"

Dick narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

Randy rolled his eyes, "What do you mean what do I mean? What. If. I. Make. It. My. Job. What if I wear one of your ridiculous costumes, put on a mask and go out there and make it my job. It's not like I haven't been doing it for the last three years anyways."

"You've been fighting demons for the last three years. Killing them I might add and you did it for the love of a woman. It's different; it's a different game. We don't kill. Fighting this fight isn't demon hunting."

"Don't speak to me like I'm a child!" Randy's voice was harsh. "I'm a hundred and fifty years old. I know the difference! I've seen history unfold, wars caused by men with souls, doing things that are unthinkable even for a vampire. You think you know? You think you know death like I do? You think you know more about life and how much it means more then me? I've taken thousands of lives, in every country in everyway. I've fought in world wars, one because it was fun. The other because Britain needed me, and I may have been a vampire, but I still had pride. I know life, and I know how much it means."

Dick was speechless at the outburst; the former vampire had a lot of pent up anger and emotion, but not just that. Dick could clearly see that he was never appreciated; his opinions must have been disregarded at every turn.

"It's not your city to do that in. Fine, you want to be a hero I'll support you, help you make the costume. You just can't here. He won't allow it."

Randy didn't question the 'he', Randy knew Dick meant Batman, "What's he going to bloody do?"

"Well…" Dick had to stop and think about it, what would Batman do if Randy just didn't get scared of the 'glare' that makes lesser men pee their pants. It's kind of hard to intimidate a man who literally died facing the armies of hell.

"Well, he could kick your ass." Dick pointed out lightly.

"…And?" Randy questioned, after all it's not the first time his ass got kicked on a daily basis.

"Umm…" Well, Dick was speechless, there wasn't anything to say. He wasn't afraid of a beating or The Bat. 'There's gotta be more reason than Killer Croc for staying.'

"Why this city? Let's say you do get dressed up and do what I do. Why stay? Why defy Batman and stay in his city to fight crime. It's a big world."

"Why Dickie, are you trying to get me out of Gotham?"

"Well, if you keep punching me in the kidneys, maybe. And don't call me Dickie." He added slightly annoyed.

"This place is the closest thing to hell on earth that you can get, without it being SunnyDale's basement." His lips curled up into feral smile, "Seems like my kind of party."

_Batcave an hour later…_

Dick entered the batcave with a bit of a bounce in his step and amusement in his eyes. He was just itching to tell Bruce that someone's going to work in his city, and that he doesn't give a damn if Bruce wants him to or not. Dick loved Bruce; he was, after all, his father. But this is just too good for words.

Bruce was sitting at the computer, searching case files as usual. Dick noticed that the case file currently up was Killer Croc's, maps of old hideouts and where he's been seen recently were up on the screen. A file on who sold him the weapons and how far the corruption seems to go into the company was also up on the screen, bank records, CEO profiles, financial history, everything. Dick wouldn't be surprised if Bruce Wayne bought out the little arms company that sold it to the shady dealer who sold it to Killer Croc, just so he could fire everyone and replace them with hand picked employees.

Dick walked up to Bruce, passing the sparring Tim and Cass. Tim gave a brief nod to Dick as he passed and got knocked on his butt. All Dick could do is smirk and shake his head in mirth.

"We need to talk." Dick said seriously to Bruce, hiding his amusement.

Bruce looked up, "About?"

"_Why this city?" Dick asked as he paced in the living room. _

_Randy just sat there on the couch unusually still as he looked out at the city. His eyes, which seemed to be endless pools that could pull you in and capture you with the emotion they express. When they're spilling with agony your heart aches. When they're filled with fury, your blood boils. When their effulgent with love, you gasp and bow before them. His eyes were so far away at the moment that they made Dick feel utterly alone._

"_Because it was her city."_

Besides the amusement of the seeing his father get pissed because someone's going to do something in Gotham without his permission. Dick had a mission; Randy's words pierced him with their sincerity. He wants to fight in the city, he wants to take on its problems for her, a girl he knew for two weeks. To Dick's knowledge they were just friends, never shared a kiss, no nights of passion, they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend with hearts devoted to each other, but still—for her he wants to make the city better. He seemed to want to do it anyways, like he was itching to find his place, but he didn't have to deal with Gotham, there are plenty of places. But for her, he chooses Gotham, for her he'll defy Batman, a member of the justice league, a myth that's all too real.

"Spike found out I'm Nightwing." Silence hit the room. The soft grunts and swift movements cutting through the air ended. Bruce's face never changed. He leaned back in his chair.

"How?" Bruce's voice oddly sounded calm, but his eyes did narrow at his once ward.

Dick shrugged, "Best guess is he had time to study my face when he was pulling me out of the water. With me going around him so much, it was just a matter of time before a shadow laded the right way on my face. Or he took my mask off when I was unconsciousness but I doubt he had the time."

Bruce Wayne nodded as he took in the information, his eyes squinting in concentration as he rested on his hands, propped up by his elbow on the computers chair.

"He won't tell I'm sure." Dick said.

Bruce nodded again, "He does has a history of keeping secrets from the public."

"The Slayer?"

Bruce nodded in reply.

"Also…" Dick seemed almost nervous, but it was in fact giddy anticipation. "He wants to work in Gotham…as a crime fighter. And I agree. I think he should too. He told me to tell you that he doesn't care about your approval or not. He'll work in the city anyway and to quote "He can kick my ass till Bloody Sunday…it won't make me leave the city."

Dick never expected Bruce's next response.

_10 am the next morning, Kelly's apartment…_

Randy entered the apartment with four shopping bags held tightly in his hands. He waited in the door away a moment, dreading going inside. The silence of Kelly's absence was aching to Randy. It was so lively with her around, so much movement, she was either busy watching tv or getting work done for the financial side of Bludhaven Blues, and she never did any work without music. She did everything with music if you weren't talking to her directly, shower, cook, clean. Now the apartment is silent at a piercing level.

Randy sighed and closed the door behind him. He wearily rested the back of his head on the cool door. He hated this, he hated that she was gone, he hated that he keeps losing people, he hated that he got to know everyone in the building and now when he sees them they gave him apologizes or a tearful hug and he just wants to shrink away even more, and sometimes he wishes he was vampire again so he could just bite into them for bothering him when he so was utterly sad. His misery didn't like the company of others, unless the company was named Jack with the surname Daniel's. Or something with a face that he was allowed to break. Or if his company was a golden haired goddess who still haunts his dreams. If only he could bury himself inside her, hear her gasp and moan his name has he rocked his hips, temporarily feel something that isn't loss. Anything to not feel that.

Randy placed the bags on the floor and began opening them, pulling out the various clothing. 'It's time' he decided.

_10pm, same day, Kelly's Balcony…_

Nightwing landed softly on the Balcony, expecting the doors to be open and ready for him. This was after all where Randy said to meet. There was a piece of white paper shining from the unnatural mix of moonlight and streetlights on the glass sliding doors. Nightwing walked up to and snatched it off.

"_Meet me on the roof, Rich._

_-R"_

Nightwing grumbled as he crumbled the piece of paper up, Randy took a liking to calling Dick, Rich last night and apparently permanently renamed him that in his mind.

"Damn ex-vampires" Nightwing mumbled as he shot the cable up from his grappling hook to latch on the roof's edge. He pressed a button on the device and it started to pull him up.

When Nightwing got on the roof, he spotted Randy instantly. His eyes bugged out as he took in Randy's new appearance.

Randy was standing in the middle of the rooftop, turned sideways away from Nightwing, so all Nightwing could see was Randy's profile. Randy's hair was died brown, gone was the platinum neon radioactive glow that was Spike's head. It was a darker brown, to those who knew Randy when he was William, they would know this new brown to be darker then that, almost black in the moonlight. He wore a long blood red duster, that draped over him perfectly, a full body black leather suit, with a bullet belt, it's buckle was an upside down skull with apparently a "W" carved into it. Randy wore blood red leather gloves with black fingers, and although Dick couldn't tell because of the duster covering the forearm, the wristband of the glove's were black and extended up to mid-forearm. He was wearing doc martins with a blood red trim around the top. As Randy turned to Nightwing, he could see a black mask covering Randy's face. Not his whole face, the mask covered everything above the mouth and upper lip, starting with his nose, covering his cheek bones and going all the way up to cover his forehead. The mask however was altered in its own way, but because Nightwing's seen enough of them to know, the mask looked like a vampire's gameface. And from the pictures he's studied over the last two weeks, it looked like Spike when he was in gameface, as if Spike wore a formfitting black mask over the areas that changed and vamped out to mold a mask just for this day. There were two holes similar to the ones in Nightwing's own mask for the eyes. His blue eyes pierced through the black in an unsettling way. There was a red "W" imprinted on the forehead of the mask, and to Nightwing it seemed as if Randy was glowing. He seemed so ethereal in the night, a bloody ghost looking for vengeance.

"Randy?"

In a voice that seemed to be his cockney accent and upper class refined accent speaking at once as if layered on top of each other Randy said, "The Wraith, Mate. My name's the Wraith."

**TBC…**


	7. Another Long Bloody Night

**Blood Knights in Gotham**

**Chapter Seven: Another Long Bloody Night**

**Note: I have to thank the lovely SquirlyforSpike on helping with the paranoid proofreading. You're one in a million doll. Every one needs to check out her Spike/Faith story Silence is Golden Unless...it's gets better every chapter and it started off great.**

The dual voice echoed around Nightwing.

"Woah." Nightwing replied, slightly stunned.

"The voice too much?" Wraith asked as he slipped back to his normal cockney accent.

"No no no, it's great." Nightwing reassured Wraith.

"Not creepy?"

"No, it was cool. The whole echo around me thing, very effective." Nightwing nodded approvingly.

"How did you do that?" Nightwing asked.

The Wraith just shrugged his shoulders, "Eh, I'm the _Wraith_ it's what I do."

Dick Grayson, adopted son of Bruce Wayne, The first Robin, and now his own man 'Nightwing' protector of Bludhaven nodded and looked over Randy's suit. He let out a low whistle.

"Nice threads. Who's your tailor?"

Randy flushed at the question, but his mask covered most of his embarrassed blush. Sometimes…he hated being human. In fact he would hate it, but he can walk through walls, so who is he to complain?

"My mum taught me." Randy said and left it at that.

He didn't see the point in telling Dick that his mother got sick when he was child. She had tuberculosis, which couldn't be treated back in the 1870's. She couldn't go out and do the things she used to do to, not for long periods of time anyways. So she took up dressmaking. She made her own and even sold them in the local shops. Randy didn't see the point in telling Dick that when he was William, he'd sit with his mother during the summer when school was out. Helping her make the dresses rather then playing outside with the other children.

Nightwing nodded and didn't press the issue. He pulled out a grappling hook, the same kind that he and the rest of the family use, and tossed it over to Wraith.

"It's how we get around." Nightwing said, then added with a smirk, "Think you can handle it?"

"Damn right I can handle it." The Wraith said indignantly, "And Bollocks! You have a car, don't tell me this is how you get around."

"No, I had a car. It's still not out of the shop, and well, I can't take Dick Grayson's car and the subway would just be awkward."

Randy gave Nightwing a half smile.

Nightwing turned real serious, "Batman has a lead on Killer Croc. We know where he's going to be tonight."

The Wraith's face became stone; his eyes grew dark blue, almost black with ferocious vehemence swirling within them. Nightwing's seen his fair share of glares; his own has known to intimidate quite a few with the exception of Roy and Batman himself. Batman's glare has even made people piss their pants from time to time, not him of course. Except that one time when he was nine, but well, he was _nine_. But this glare, these eyes, well, there was something about them, not just a promise of a brutal hurting, but also the knowledge on how to do it. These eyes were the eyes of a killer, reformed or not, you could see it. The Joker had eyes like that when he was at his most bloodthirsty.

"Let's go then." The Wraith's dual voice was back, echoing around inside Nightwing's skull.

Nightwing nodded and led the way. He shot his hook and began swinging away, with The Wraith not far behind.

"So" Wraith's powerful voice began to echo, "What did The Bat, say?"

"_I agree he wouldn't leave the city. Which is fine, because if he didn't offer I was going to."_

_Dick looked shocked, "Was what?"_

_Bruce turned back to the screen, "I was going to offer him a place in Gotham." He stated simply._

"_Not that I'm not happy with your decision, but why? You've never done anything like this before. In fact I was pretty sure you'd be opposed to the idea."_

_Bruce pulled up a chart on the computer._

"_This was Gotham's supernatural activity four months ago." Bruce Wayne said._

_Dick looked up at the screen the chart had a light green line kept at a steady low-level._

"_I take it that means very little activity."_

"_No wonder you're the world's second best detective." Bruce said deadpanned._

"_Was that a joke?"_

"_No. Now this is Gotham's Supernatural activity a month ago."_

_The line on the chart was now red and spiked upwards._

"_What caused the change?" Dick asked as his eyes narrowed in concentration._

_"John Constantine had posed a theory to the Justice league last month. It seems similar activity has happened all over the world. A foolhardy spell done by a witch named Willow Rosenberg activated all the potentials into Slayers."_

"_Potentials?"_

"_Girls that were next in the line for the title of slayer. She made it where they all have been activated. The scales were tipped, and now they're being balanced."_

_Dick nods, silently asking Bruce to continue._

"_It's not our area of expertise. But it is his. According to the files Oracle hacked into from the Watchers Council, Spike speaks ten different demon languages; he's worked with and had several different species work for him from time to time over the last century. He's even dabbled in the occult, and his sire that he roamed with for that time period was an experienced witch. He'll be useful."_

_Dick rubs his jaw, "His right hook's pretty good too."_

"Useful, huh?" Wraith said aloud to himself. He wasn't sure if he's insulted that he's just considered useful, or pleased that he's needed.

"Should of known Red would muck things up. Chit's good at messing up the big spells." Wraith continued.

"Red?" Nightwing questioned.

"Willow." Wraith formally known as Spike, second half of the scourge of Europe and the Slayer of Slayers elaborated.

Nightwing nodded and then turned his attention back to swing from rooftop to rooftop. Dick Grayson glanced out of the corner of his eye just for a second and was startled.

"Wraith!" He yelled.

Randy was enjoying the cool wind as he cut through the air; he stared transfixed at the ground watching all the people living their lives, not even noticing him or Nightwing. It was amazing how simple things seem as he swung through the air, but all the simplicity was broken when he heard Nightwing wing's call. Wraith looked up, "What?" And then turned his attention to in front of him, he was heading straight for a brick wall. "Oh bugger." Then poof he went right through the wall.

Nightwing was in shock, and swung parallel to the building hoping to see Randy emerge. By the time he passed the building he saw Randy phase through the wall with a bra on his head, and sighed with relief.

They both landed on the top of the building where they're meeting Batman. Nightwing chuckled as he looked at a clearly embarrassed Randy taking the bra off his head.

"Well there's a story to tell your kids one day." Nightwing laughed.

Wraith looked up sharply as he heard the words 'tell your kids one day.'

Nightwing took Wraith's look as a glare and held up his hands in mock defense, "Hey man, just a joke."

Randy dropped the bra to the ground and shook his head; he ran his fingers through his hair almost nervously.

"No not that. Just…I can have kids. I guess I didn't really think about it. I haven't had the option for the last one hundred years." Randy said, nearly getting lost in his own world. A world where he and his golden haired goddess held a miracle in their arms, a fantasy world that will never happen.

Nightwing steps over to the now brooding Randy and almost put his hand on the Wraith's shoulder, till he remembered what happened last time.

"Hey man, no need to brood. I get enough of that." Nightwing said with a smile on his face.

"Not brooding, just thinking deeply." The Wraith replied.

Batman cleared its throat and stepped from the shadows. He didn't say anything but gave them both a look that clearly said _'We're working. Deal with your emotional problems later.'_

Nightwing and Wraith put on their 'game faces' and strode over to Batman. Batman looked The Wraith up and down, inspecting his suit.

"Nice suit." He said without emotion. "Whose your tailor?"

"I am." Wraith's voice echoed around Batman, once again back to its dual tone and accent.

If it freaked or startled Batman at all he didn't show it, he just nodded and turned around.

"So what's the deal, Boss?" Nightwing asked, his eyes going straight to where Batman's staring.

"Killer Croc's in the warehouse. He left a not so neat body trail. Even messier than normal. They all have railroad spike's embedded in their skulls."

Wraith's eye's narrow and emits a low growl that sounds haunting in his ethereal dual voice. "He's taunting me."

Batman nods, "Croc's not exactly a genius."

"What Batman is trying to say is—he's dumber then a brick."

"He couldn't have figured out who you were." Batman continued on after giving a quick glare to Nightwing. "Not with only seeing you once. Hell, he wouldn't know how to find you. You kept off radar. No name in Gotham, your description would be bring up Spike, not Randy. And Spike hasn't been seen around. His knowledge of the occult is so nil that he wouldn't know who you are anyway. Probably wouldn't even know if a vampire was real till one bit him."

"What do you mean wouldn't have known?" Nightwing asked.

"There's thirteen vampires inside the warehouse with him." Wraith answered. Off their looks, one of surprise, the other of question he answered, "Can feel them is all. Guess some things didn't go away. Wish I still had my senses I might have realized your nibblet's were hiding in the shadows about a three seconds faster then I did." Wraith turned around called, "You can come out now."

Robin and Batgirl step out of the shadows. Robins face held an expression of shock and slight guilt at being caught. While Batgirl's head and face is completely covered by her mask, you could tell she was scowling, but she also impressed, impressed but mostly scowling, and looking forward to working with Wraith in the future.

Wraith gave them a smirk, "Don't worry about, nibs. I've been lurking in shadows since before Batman's grandfather was a sparkle in someone's eye." His tone held amusement. The Wraith turned back.

"So how did the bugger know where I was? Who I am?" Wraith asked.

"My guess? He's working with someone. Someone who knew you were returning that night. Nightwing and missile launcher? It was a set up." Batman explained.

"Why?" Nightwing asked, his question both to the new information and to why he wasn't informed of this till now. Although Dick knows it's Bruce's style, he still hates being left in the dark.

"To see what he'd do." Batman replied.

"If I saved you, then it was a possibility the soul that came back. If I left you to do die; they would have had a potential ally." Wraith finished.

Batman concurred with a curt nod. Slightly pissed that someone cut him off and came to the conclusion so fast without him.

Wraith nodded to himself, "Right." He spoke to no one, his voice held mischief. He turned to the group and saluted them while grinning madly, and leapt off the side of the building.

They rushed to the edge and try and grab him but it was too late he was already falling. He soon pushed his feet off the wall and did a flip that propelled him all the way to the building across the street, in which he phased through and looking into the window, the Batclan could see Wraith rolling on the ground and leaping to his feet. Wraith began running towards the other side of the building phasing through walls to get there faster.

"Uh…was he an acrobat or something when he was human? Because I've only seen Nightwing do something like that." Tim said slightly perplexed at the near copy of Nightwing's flip.

"Files report him to not so agile, not like that anyway." Batman said in a monotone voice.

Nightwing bit his lip and he began to think back on their fight and how Randy had somehow learned to block every punch and move he gave perfectly. 'I need to study those text' Nightwing thought to himself.

"Why we waiting?" Batgirl fumed, slightly frustrated.

The other's looked ashamed as they were all gawking at Wraith's newfound acrobat like prowess, well, all except Batman. Batman doesn't express shame on his face, he's Batman. Plus he was investigating. 'Yeah, the wall looked suspicious' Batman thought.

"Why are you still waiting?" Oracle's voice came on all their radios.

"Right." Batman's gravely voice penetrated the night air. "Let's go."

_Building across the street…_

Randy rushes through the halls and walls with determination. He doesn't really want Nightwing and the rest of their help or their misguided attempts to save his soul; though he does appreciate it. He just wants to Kill Croc. An eye for an eye, that was Spike's way and it worked for 120 years 'Kind of' Randy thought.

Randy finally jumped through the last wall and landed on the street. Randy lands right in front of the warehouse where Batman said Croc was hiding. His grin became feral as his eyes momentarily shimmered golden; for that moment we peer into a hundred years of madness, blood, gore, sex, lust, and battle that although a soul can forget a mind will forever have etched. You'll never forget how to crush a man's windpipe and how much they try to scream, but simply can't. Never forget how that first girl tasted when her blood that smells like lavender and feels like silk runs down your throat softly caressing your taste buds and causing an explosion of bliss and flavor that makes it so easy to forget how appalling murder was to you.

Wraith runs towards the closed entrance of the warehouse slamming his shoulder first in hopes of breaking the door down and making a classic entrance that made him a legend. The door reverberates as he bounces off it.

"Soddin Hell!" He yelled, Randy's hand grabbing his shoulder as he walked back and forth trying to walk off the pain.

The door makes a strange squeaking noise before falling down with a loud reverberating crash, causing dust to swirl and lift off the ground in clouds. Thirteen confused vampires just stood there looking at the fallen door and Randy with curiosity.

Wraith sighs, "Bloody typical."

The Wraith looks up to see all the vampires staring at him now with hungry expressions.

"I hate being dinner now." Wraith says to himself before charging the vampires. As he passes through the door he lifts up the now broken chain that held up the pad lock of the door. Wrapping it around his fist he leapt into the air.

"Is he wearing a costume?" One of the vampires asked quietly to his friend (also a vampire) standing next to him.

"Yes." He nods, "Yes I believe he-" He was stopped short as the chain wrapped fist smashed into his face. His skull fracturing at the force, imploding into itself as Wraith's hand continued to go deeper; finally Wraith's fist went all the way through and out the other side. Decapitating the vampire and turning him and the blood on Randy's fist into dust.

Wraith rises up with an uppercut and follows it with a roundhouse kick to the pile of ashe's friend. His foot collides with the vampire's skull; he unsheathes a stake he had hidden in his coat pocket purely out of habit and slams it into the vampire's heart as he finishes the spin caused by the round house.

'Two down and eleven more to go.' Randy thought as he looked around him, a circle of the remaining vampires has formed around him hoping to get the jump. 'Mobs in Prague, slayers, the very armies of hell and now eleven vampires?…no sweat.' The Wraith smirked, 'I don't stop till everyone in my path is dead; and I have an over grown alligator with my wrath and vengeance written all over him. Sometimes there's thrill, a soddin fist slamming into your face now made bloody with everything taking on a red tint. You grin madly as you snap back with a head butt and your knees making that satisfying noise when they make contact with their ribs, like a slab of raw meat dropping on table; splat. Then there's that gut wrenching need to bloody kill everything in your path. So hot with fury you swear your blood's going to boil over and your veins rip open spewing molten lava. None of theses sad blokes are my target, but tonight…they all look like Croc.'

A blond vampire with shaggy hair and a flannel shirt charges Wraith like a toddler running full force into his mother's back, unknowing that his 30 pounds of speed will throw her back out of place. Uncontrolled and wild with a side of not focused, Wraith slips around the charging force and snaps his neck. The vamp falls to ground and starts uncontrollably convulsing. Snapping a vampire's neck won't kill them, but it will paralyze them. Takes away all the power from a creature whose whole life is about power. He just lies there now, watching the fight of his brothers and friends as they fall, but they don't fall like him. They fall like rain, a shower of glimmering dust.

The Wraith starts dispatching the vampires left and right, not caring to play with them like he did when he was in Sunnydale. He's not Spike anymore and doesn't need to feel the untrained punch of a newborn vamp beat against his face and flesh. Doesn't feel like the traitor to his kind anymore allowing nobodies to get their hits in because he turned coat and deserved them.

Five vampires left, all in game face and the only thing Randy sees is the cruel grin of an idiot metahuman with alligator's skin and uneducated eyes. All that's left is the best of a group that was easily dispatched; forgotten like an uneventful day or a passing nameless face. He's angry that he's not fighting Croc right now, but happy that someone might show him a good fight. Three minutes top before he sees the color of a crocodile's blood.

A Mexican vampire with pale-bronzed skin charges and leaps at Randy. Randy grabs the vampire's upper sleeves and slams his foot into the vamp's gut while falling back. The vampire holds on to Randy and pulls him along, by the end of the tumble and roll; Randy's straddling the vamp and beating in his face.

Passion and rage can be a great place to draw strength and power from. A mother can lift cars off her baby boy, and kids who have been picked on for too much of their life can punch back. It also gives too much focus, because right now, Randy doesn't see the four vampires coming his way. He only sees the Killer Croc's mug as he beats in the vampire's face, wet smacks and groans being heard over and over.

A vampire snarled and leapt at Randy but was cut short with an eep and a gurgling choke. The struggling noise is what caught Randy's attention. He looked up to see a leather whip wrapped around the vamp's neck. The whip tightened quickly and standing behind the cloud of dust was a beautiful goddess in an all black suit with cat ears and goggles over her eyes.

"Selina…" Randy whispered to himself.

"Now William, why didn't you tell me you were in town?" She purred. "Love the costume by the way, should have done it years ago if you ask me."

Before he could answer her inquiry and comment, the Bat clan jumped through various entrances. He was now surrounded by vampires and super heroes and one villain turned hero.

"Good bloody grief." He said before shaking his head. He heard a roar and a familiar scream come from a trap door on the ground of the warehouse.

Randy lifts the unconscious vampire and flings him at Batman before diving towards the hole. Randy tumbles down some steps before landing on his feet in the warehouses cellar. A thick steel door was all there was in the room. The piercing scream was heard again, feminine and familiar but he couldn't place it. Randy phased through the door and into a room filled with cages. All of the cages held beaten and battered women; all of the woman are vampires. Randy saw Croc lifting a woman into his arms; Croc's scaly lips were kissing the sluggishly struggling blond woman. She was trying to push him away but moved as if she was drugged.

"Croc!" His voice boomed throughout the room like an unholy force. He started glowing ethereally the glow was pouring off him like smoke. He slowly began to walk towards Killer Croc like the hunter he is, and Croc threw the girl back into cage and closed it. Croc began to stalk towards Randy like the hunter _he_ is.

"Well, well. It's the stick man." His grin became cruel. "We didn't really need costumes for this, did we?" He asked as they drew closer.

"I've been talking for far to bloody long, mate. Time for a bit of fist and fangs, yeah?" Wraith practically snarled.

"I couldn't agree more." Croc growled back.

And the two leapt into combat.

**TBC…**


	8. Heroes, Damsels, and reasons for living

**Blood Knights in Gotham**

**Note: I'd like to thank my good friend Squirlyforspike for her support and letting me bounce ideas off her head. Everyone should check out her stories 'Ressurection' and 'The Demon Within'. Awesome Tales. I'd like to thank Blood Knights in Gotham Beta, the lovely OracleHolly. Thanks for the wonderful work on the chapter!**

**Readers Rock, but Reviewers Rule!**

**Chapter 8: Heroes, Damsel's, and reasons for living**

Cassandra, aka Batgirl, leapt off the rooftop letting her grappling hook shoot free as she sliced through the air like a knife. The hook attached itself to another roof top and then another as her leather clad body swung with determination. She was quickly developing a fascination with this new warrior. He could imitate her "brother's" flips and acrobatics flawlessly; he stood up to Bruce and regarded with him a cool, casual stance. He was a creature brought back from a darkness that he almost seemed born into. Cass could relate.

The fact that this "Spike," or Randy as he now insisted on being called, caught her while she was concealed within the shadows both enraged her and peaked her curiosity. He was someone she wanted to fight, to train with, and to work with. He also made her stomach do things that she'd have to discuss with Barbara about. She couldn't tell the boys. Boys are kind of stupid.

Cass saw the warehouse and its front entrance had already been opened. Like a dark angel she swooped down towards the building throwing a small sonic emitter towards a boarded up window. She watched the wood splinter and glass shatter. Using her cape to shield her from the shards of glass and wood, Batgirl dove through the window.

When Cass landed on her feet she came before quite an interesting scene. The Wraith with bloody fists was straddling a man, or at least Batgirl thought it was a man. His face was strange, twisted almost a mockery of normalcy, but that could be because The Wraith was pounding into it. Second, was she saw Catwoman with her whip holding back a man that Cass knew wasn't deformed from a beating.

Batgirl was fascinated. 'So this is a vampire?' she thought. The vampire's darkness and hungry eyes that seemed they could never be satisfied pulled her in. The demon's feral movements were so animalistic as it/he struggled against the whip turned noose held tightly around his neck. She wanted to fight one.

The Wraith tossed a vampire towards Batman and disappeared into the warehouse's cellar. Cass was about to jump after him when a vamp came right in front of her snarling. She grinned beneath her mask. The Wraith could wait.

_**Cellar…**_

The Wraith and Croc leapt at each other. Randy threw a right hook that sent Croc reeling. Croc wasn't expecting the stick man to be so fast, even faster then he was the other night, and the way his eyes glowed was different too. Croc really didn't know _who_ he was fighting. Wraith threw a left hook, then a right and a left, then a right to Croc's ribs. Croc hunched over but then Randy's knee struck upward hard and fast. He followed with an uppercut and landed it square on Croc's throat, before his body's momentum was even finished from the last blow.

Wraith's last blow caused Croc to flip backwards and land on his face. With blood profusely pouring from the missing bits of his faces scales; Croc looked up into the golden glowing eyes of a monster concealed in man's flesh.

This wasn't the Bat-man.

This wasn't a fight.

This was a massacre. One that even Bane didn't produce.

And for the first time in his life, Croc was scared.

_**Upstairs, Warehouse…**_

Batgirl circled the snarling beast; she was quiet and calculating like always. Not just in a fight, but in life too, she kept always quiet and calculating. She saw the creature's muscles tense before it even leapt at her, and she ducked and rolled out of the way. Unfortunately, she underestimated it's speed and own reflexes as the vampire kicked her up in the back. Batgirl slammed into the concrete ground. She hadn't expected the vampire to be so strong and fast, but she wouldn't underestimate it again.

Batgirl pushed herself off the floor and back flipped, kicking the monster square in the chest. The vampire stumbled back and fell on his ass. He was so mesmerized by this bat-dominatrix and her graceful movements that he didn't see her feet playing target practice with his chest.

Batgirl turned to see the creature getting back up. Cass ran towards it and then cart-wheeled followed by a front flip landing an ax kick smack dab on the vampire's head; his chin made a sickening smack as it crunched against his collar bone. He once again was slammed into the ground. He snarled and got back up.

"No way am I going down because of some chick!" The Vampire growled and swung wildly at Batgirl.

Batgirl seized his arm in mid air, wrenched it, and then flipped his body over her shoulder. She continued to wrench his arm till she heard an audible snap, and when the creature screamed it was an almost too pleasant sound for her.

The Vampire growled and with his superhuman might threw Batgirl off of him. The force caused Batgirl to slam into the wall. Batgirl's petite body fell to the floor in a heap of unmoving arms and legs. The vampire grinned mercilessly as he twisted his arm back into place and stalked towards Batgirl.

**_Back into the cellar…_**

She looked up slowly, not because of pain, but because of the drugs coursing through her body. Her movements were lagged and her eyes failed her. One minute she was being handled by this disgusting monster, trying to kiss her, _her_ of all people. 'He would _so_ need drugs to even be close to me.' She thought haughtily.

She looked up and waited for her vision to catch up with her eyes. There he was, her savior breathing hard with clenched fists, standing over the monster that's been systematically raping every girl in this place. He was unfamiliar except for the eyes; those precious beautiful blue eyes she'd always remember and had always made her feel safe. She whispered his name ever so slightly before she lost the strength to hold up her head. "Spike…"

_**Back up at the warehouse…**_

The Vampire grabbed Batgirl by her throat and lifted the seemingly lifeless girl into the air. His 70 years of life was filled with meaningless kills, scared children and weak woman. No man could understand how alluring fear was until they leaped off that proverbial bridge, diving into a world where one walked by moonlight and only moonlight. Although you lived underground, you really existed above the rest because now they're food and you've climbed that ladder up the chain surpassing them all. The devil's blood flowing through your veins will draw out your deepest darkest desires. Burning, it lights a fire underneath your skin and the only way to quell such need is to take that young girl with flesh that no man has touched, and violate it beyond all reason then take her blood. But this… this girl put up a fight, broke bones he didn't know could be broken and made him face his own mortality. For a vampire there was no desire or dark pleasure greater than facing your end and surviving.

"Thank you little girl," he smiled. "You gave me something I lost a long time ago." He was ready to bite into her supple neck and taste the blood of a hero, but then he felt a sharp intense pain in his groin.

His eyes widened as he let go of Cassandra Cain, mouth agape as he backed away just enough to give her room. Her palm came slamming upwards, shattering his nose and causing his neck to whiplash as he fell back.

"Don't play with food," She gritted out. "I bite you back."

**_Cellar…_**

If Randy were still a vampire, he would have heard the soft admission escape beautiful, pink lips in a sad attempt to call for help. He could only hear his own hard breathing and pumping heart that felt like it was going to break his chest. Ba-BOOM. BA-BOOM. The thunderous pounding echoed in his ears. Fists clenched, he seethed as he stared down at the reptilian man.

The Wraith was about to strike when out of nowhere Killer Croc grabbed his ankle and tripped him up, causing Randy to fall to the ground. Croc rose up and with all his might he threw Randy across the room and against a cage. The bars rattled as Wraith rock-hard body slammed against them.

Randy slid down to the ground but quickly rose up and snarled. The Wraith charged Killer Croc; he jumped through the air and attempted to kick Croc in the chest. Croc ducked Randy's attempt, and just as Randy's body lunged over his, he rose up quickly slamming The Wraith's body into the ceiling. Croc then slammed the Wraith down on the ground and straddled him. Croc's large burly forearms pressed down hard on Randy's throat. With every second he pressed a little harder and laughed as he attempted to crush the Wraith's windpipe. Randy put all his strength into trying to push Croc off of him, but he was at a severe disadvantage.

**_Warehouse…_**

Batgirl lunged on the vampire with fury and a flurry of precise well-placed punches and kicks, never relenting as she eliminated every disadvantage he had. She re-broke his arm, broke his other arm and smashed his kneecaps. Her training came back to her, the training her father, one of the world's top assassins -David Cain, gave her. She'd used this training when she was nothing but an eight-year-old girl, killing a man, which resulted in her running away.

Running to the streets and living anyway she could until it lead her here, in the arms of the Bat Family, a family of left-behinds who together keep cities safe, keep the bad people off the streets. She's good; she's a good girl. Batman told her so, so did Robin, Dick, Barbara and Alfred. Batman also told her that it's okay to kill vampires, that she doesn't have to hold back on vampires and her training can used to its full potential, but for the right reasons.

So when she pulled out a batarang with murder in her eyes, she sliced through the vampire's neck. Slicing, cutting, hacking, at the vampire's neck till there was only dust. It was ok, but then why couldn't she stop shaking?

'It's ok, I didn't anything bad' a mantra soon formed in her head. 'Demon, killer, not a man. Not a man.' She couldn't stop shaking. She didn't like what she released, what darkness pulled her in, and for once, she was scared.

A green clad glove placed itself on her shoulder.

"Cass?"

Batgirl looked up into the young and caring eyes of Tim Drake, Robin, her little brother and everything started to feel okay.

"We need to find Spike. We have to stop him remember? We have to save his soul." Tim said gently.

Cass looked over to the rest of the group, clouds of dust swirling around them as they charged towards the cellar.

They killed the vampires too. She didn't do anything wrong. It was going to be okay.

_**Cellar…**_

Croc's massive arms started to press down harder and harder.

"Say good night, stick man," Croc sneered.

Randy began to chuckle, a deep throaty chuckle as his eyes flared with intense glee.

"What are you laughing at?" growled Croc.

Randy didn't answer he just kept on chuckling; which only invoked Croc's rage further. A loud explosion could be heard, and Croc turned to see the cellar door blown open. Standing at the entrance was Batman, Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Catwoman, ready to bring on all the fury of Gotham with them.

Croc felt the Wraith's weight dissipate beneath him. He looked down dumbstruck to see his arms pressing hard into the concrete floor of the cellar.

"What?" Crock mumbled baffled.

Randy's fist phased through the floor as he practically flew up, giving Croc a surprise uppercut.

Randy kicked Croc in the ribs and then backhanded him. Continuing with that momentum Randy followed through with a roundhouse kick. His punches and jabs disabled Croc in ways he's never been disabled. A punch to his face and then a crack to his ribs. He can't see, can't breathe as Randy's pulsating rage fueled the fire of his fight. The Wraith can't stop thinking about Kelly, the way her neck looked after it snapped, the way she treated him, like a friend, the way he loved her. Too soon to love? He wasn't deeply madly in love with her, but he loved her just the same and she was taken away. A bright shining light in his dark submersed world taken away by an ugly dark beast; karma Randy didn't deserve for the actions of a vampire he no longer was.

The beast was glistening red now; cuts and abrasions couldn't be seen, just red, red sticky blood covering his face and upper body. His blood. Crocodile's blood. His breaths were shallow as he looked up with one good eye.

"Ain'tchu gona kill me, stichkkkk man?" Croc's battered mouth had trouble speaking with clarity.

Wraith was breathing hard as he stood over Croc with bloody clenched fists. A time when he was in that position danced across his thoughts, and another time when a moonlit slayer was driving in the front seat of a golden goddess telling him it would be wrong swirled in his mind.

"No," Randy said aloud. Unseen by him, Batman's tense and struggling body relaxed as Robin and Nightwing let him go. Randy didn't see the struggle, didn't see Batman trying to stop him from killing Croc, and didn't see Nightwing hold him back.

"Whhhhy nout?" Croc questioned, the brutes' curiosity got the better of him.

Randy had to think about it; why exactly wasn't he going to kill this man? He wanted too, the world would certainly be a better place without Killer Croc; because he will escape and kill again, a vicious cycle for those who uphold the law. But then the answer came to him shining so brightly.

"Because you're not worth my soul."

Randy clenched his fists and all his knuckles cracked at once, the cracking resounding throughout the room. His breathing became level as his body almost collapsed. Nightwing ran to catch him, but The Wraith already caught himself by leaning on one of the cages' bars. He slid down to the floor as the energy drained from him. All the adrenaline that was pushing him beyond human limits seemed depleted.

"Well, I'm knackered," Randy said with a chuckle, as he padded his blood red leather duster for a pack of fags. He soon realized that he didn't have any; he hasn't smoked since he returned.

Dick grinned and Selina chuckled.

Catwoman walked over to Randy with her hips swaying seductively. "William, it's been too long. Haven't seen you since Brazil. When you left me to those police," she said with a catlike grin.

"Well, you did leave me behind to deal with those vampires in New York, luv." Randy smirked at Selina.

"Yes, but I made up for that," Selina said with a wink.

Batman cleared his throat. The others all turned their attention back to him, while he gave them a look that said, _"Not now. We're working. Talk about your personal history later, but if you do, I might make your bodies disappear."_ Batman moved to stand next to the now chained up Croc.

Randy smirked at Batman while he accepted Selina and Dick's offered hands and pulled himself up. His fingers lingered on Selina's just a bit longer than need be.

Wraith's mood turned serious as he began to inspect the cages around him. Walking around the room, his fingers treaded over the steel bars as he began to look at the women.

"I've seen this before," Randy whispered.

"Cages?" Tim guessed.

Randy shot Robin a glare, then glared at Batman who was slightly glaring at Robin, who just looking at the ceiling. Robin was rubbing the back of his head and trying to ignore the imploring eyes for the dumb question.

Randy continued, "Slave trade. A vampire slave trade." He sighed, "A sex ring."

The Two detectives started investigating different cages.

"They use drugs," Batman said as he inspected one of the girls inside the cage. The vampire's arms had puncture wounds running up them, and even several in her neck.

Randy nodded, "It's a mystical drug made only for vampires. It makes them not there in a way. Think of it like taking fifty Xanax; you won't be able to do anything, too bloody relaxed to move."

"What's mystical about that?" Dick asked as he examined a symbol on one of the cages.

"The drug makes certain body parts…respond in the way a person would want when their having sex." Randy answered barely concealing their disgust.

Robin looked sick, while Batgirl and Catwoman looked like they were ready to kill.

Dick's face became hard as stone as he continued his search.

"Most people don't do anything about it in the mystical community. The watchers… the slayers… none of them do anything about it. Because in the end, they're just vampires." Randy's words sounded bitter and harsh. His face contorted into rage and his hands shook as he thought of what these girls, even though demons, had gone through.

"It's not right. Even if they're demon, it's not right." Batgirl's angry words broke the shocked silence.

Wraith nodded, "Too true, pet." His sad and ageless eyes searched over the battered woman. "We need to kill them."

Catwoman and Robin both looked at Randy like he was crazy.

"What!" They both exclaimed.

Randy sighed, "They're vampires. Guess what, the chances of us reforming them are pretty slim." His words were truthful, bitter, and sad. Even though he was no longer a vampire, he still felt for the girls and hated the idea of dusting them all. He knew how much humanity was retained after being turned into a vampire, and he recognized that truth even though the Scoobies never saw it, the Watchers never bothered to investigate it, and Angel denied it.

When a person gets turned into a vampire, their personality remains, just with no moral limitations. And most of the time it causes the person to dive deep into the darkness created by the perversion of their soul. Rarely do vampires willingly hang on to their humanity. William did because of his love for his mother and the love he gave so freely the women in his life. Drusilla did with her devotion and love to a holy figure and family, even if the holy figure changed from God to Angelus, and a family of humans to a bloodline of vampires. Even that bookworm Dalton, who was a librarian in his human life, carried over his love of books and peaceful nerdy nature with him. Randy almost chuckled at his next thought, but Harmony was incredibly human as well, never fully embracing her darkness, but never fully finding herself either, always following.

"He's right." Batman broke the silence as everyone took in what Randy said. "We have too." He too seemed bothered by them doing this, but it was what needed to be done.

Nightwing, who had been entirely focused on the symbol he'd found on the bar, turned his attention to the Wraith.

"What does this symbol mean? It's not anything I'm familiar with."

The Wraith walked over to the cage and kneeled down to Dick's level. He studied the etched symbol for only a moment, before getting up and backing away from the cage, his face stoic and his eyes stormy.

"Dracula, the real one." Randy simply stated.

Tim's eyes widened in surprise, "Dracula! What do you mean real one?" His surprise quickly switched into curiosity, in a world where men fly and battle gods, is Dracula really that far-fetched?

Randy let out a mirthless chuckle; the question would be amusing if the situation wasn't so dismal. "They're five Draculas. Four of them are the original one's childer. They all go by his name as ways to throw humans off his path. His youngest childe is a real poof who dresses up in a cape and talks in a bloody ridiculous accent. He's the reason people know so much about vampire's weakness. Wanker." Randy shook his head with disgust.

"They're four that aren't really him?" Batman questioned Randy, wanting to get the facts down.

He looked over to Batman and nodded, "Yeah, pretty much all the different tales or variants you've read about? That's his children - all of them covering up the truth. His name was becoming that of legend in the demon world more then two thousand years ago, but when humans started knowing the name he knew it was only a matter of time before they found him and his secrets out. So every four hundred years or so he would sire another childe and name them Dracula. Decoys for the public."

"So Dracula's in _my_ city?" Batman demanded to know.

The Wraith shrugged, "Maybe. He might of set it up and just left. We weren't close or anything. I didn't even know he ran sex rings like this. I've known a few ponces in my day that have owned and operated one before, but I never knew old Drac was into this business."

Wraith's eyes scanned over the vampire woman and the duty that he now had to do. His stomach fell at the disgusting thought. He pulled a stake out of his sleeve.

"Let's get this over with," he said repulsed.

Randy and the Batclan plus Catwoman began to systemically dust each vampire going from cage to cage, each wearing an emotionless mask as they did their duty. It felt like it was taking forever as they discovered just how big the cellar was. It seemed endless, surpassing that of the size of the warehouse itself. A labyrinth of bruised pale flesh that was once porcelain, silky, and smooth skin unharmed for centuries, now incased inside metal as monsters and men have tormented their ageless beauty.

Randy finally got to the last cage the cage that held the blond woman Croc was attempting to rape when Randy first entered. The Wraith discovered that her flesh was not nearly as marred as the others. He guessed that she hadn't been a part of this long. She had blond hair that hadn't seen in a shower in weeks, what was once probably silky, fine hair, that you could run your fingers through it for hours on end just to enjoy, was now dry and brittle. Her hair seemed so familiar and so did her scream. He cursed not having his senses anymore, longed for the days he could just take a whiff of the air and know who was behind him or next to him without even looking.

Randy's hand shakily went to her shoulder to roll her over. The Wraith gasped and closed his eyes when he saw her, but it was too late. His mind captured every inch of her body and now he seemingly couldn't forget it. The cuts that run up and down her breast were already healing quickly. A large fading scar appeared over her abdomen where someone seemed to her disembowel her for the pleasure of it. Her hips were bruised with palm prints, as he could only guess were bone-crushing grips as she was brutality raped. He didn't need his vamperic sense of smell to know what those stains were around her vagina. Her lip was split, and she had a black eye. Her beautiful, blue eyes opened slowly, and the Wraith saw that they were filled with such hope and longing.

"Spike?" She sounded exhausted, yet hopeful.

Randy grabbed his mask and pulled it off. He didn't care who saw his face, and after all, it wasn't like none of them knew who he was.

She smiled as she saw that it was in fact him.

"Yeah, Harm. It's me." He tried to smile back.

Harmony's arms encircled Randy's waist as he placed his arm underneath her neck to give her support.

"Soddin, bint. How do you get into so much trouble?" His words were spoken softly.

"I don't know; life kind of began to suck after high school."

Randy chuckled, "Good pun."

"What?" Harmony's confused drugged out eyes stared up at Randy.

Randy sighs and rolls his eyes, "Never mind."

The Wraith let her down gently and took off his duster covering her with it. The long, red leather duster engulfed her small frame; Harmony inhaled deeply enjoying Spike's scent as if it was consuming her.

"You smell different, Blondie Bear," Harmony mumbled as Randy put his mask back on.

The Wraith effortlessly lifted her in his arms, "I know, Harm. I'm human now."

Harmony snuggled into his warm body and mumbled again, "No wonder you're being so nice to me."

Randy felt a pang of guilt shoot through his chest. He never did treat Harmony right and he knew it. She might have been annoying, but he knew she loved him, and he knew all he did was break her heart. Harmony was so human; just as human as he was when he was a vampire, and like him she didn't need a soul to retain her humanity. He needed one before he could get an inch of trust with the Scoobies, he wouldn't make the same mistake with her. He understood that with the right care, he can bring her over to the right side without her needing a soul. She just needed the right amount of trust, care, and a pair of eyes on her constantly.

The Wraith, like a knight in shining, black armor, stepped out of the cage with his damsel wrapped in red. The Batclan all looked him curiously wondering why this girl was being spared while the rest weren't. Randy walked towards the blown open door with his new charge in arms, not bothering to offer his reason. The Wraith felt a strong grip on his bicep pull him around, where he met Batman, face to face and eye to eye.

"What are you doing?" Batman used his legendary "Bat-voice" as he demanded an answer from Wraith.

Batman's tone alone has caused petty criminals to wet their pets, stopped others in their tracks, and even caused anxiety to bubble up inside of the greatest superheroes. It just pissed Randy off.

"I'm taking her to my home. Why? Wanna take a go at her? I really don't think she's in the mood," The Wraith sneered. He guessed maybe he hadn't gotten that whole patience and polite thing down yet, or possibly he just had a problem with brooding authority figures.

Batman's grip tightened on Randy's bicep. "She's a vampire," Batman gritted out.

"Thanks! I wouldn't have noticed that without the world's greatest detective pointing that out to me!" Randy replied sarcastically.

"She can't be trusted," Batman's voice was close to yelling anger, unlike his usually calm voice. The others noticed and wonder why Randy was getting Batman so worked up. Why did Batman seem so emotionally invested?

The Wraith countered, "It wouldn't be the first time my choice to let someone live was the right one!" The Wraith's dual haunting voice echoed throughout the corridor of cages. The temperature in the underground labyrinth dropped severely, so much in fact that everyone's breath began to materialize.

Batman let go of Randy's bicep instantly, but he didn't step back. His face crumbled into shock instantly, and for moments he stayed that way before just as quickly his stonewall rebuilt itself. His face once again emotionless as he asked, "You know?"

Randy just nodded curtly and turned around sharply on his heel, stalking out of the cellar and into the light of the warehouse. Everyone just stared as they were left behind in the darkness of the warming cellar.

**_Later, Clocktower…_**

Barbara Gordon was sitting at the Clocktower's computer researching everything she could about Dracula. She had gotten a call on the link from Bruce, who said he needed everything she could find on Dracula and to cross-reference that intel with vampire sex rings. Barbara's face scrunched up in disgust at the thought, not so much because of the vampire part, but a sex slavery ring? She wished it was some new horrible incident she only read about that was now becoming a reality, but the hard truth was that such a thing was nothing she hadn't faced before. Sex rings, rapes, vampires, mass murderers, and the like were all a part of her daily life. Sometimes she longed for the innocence of youth, but she realized she'd be lost without the darkness, without Dick. She couldn't live without Dick. It didn't matter that they fought a lot; they loved each other and that was all that mattered.

Barbara smiled as she thought about the last two weeks since Dick's "accident." It had been so peaceful between them. The possible loss of his life served as another splash to their faces, and a wake up call that if they spent their life on "breaks," they would miss the most important parts. It had not been their first wake up call, but hopefully they wouldn't need anymore to stay together.

'He's still an ass,' Barbara thought dreamily and began to get lost within her thoughts. 'Mmmm Dick's ass.' She was so lost in thought about the former Boy Wonder that she didn't hear Batgirl walking up behind her.

"Need talk." Batgirl half asked, half demanded.

Barbara gave out short scream and nearly fell out of wheel chair. She rolled the chair around and put her hand over her hard, heaving chest.

"Don't do that!" She chided before she realized who she was saying that too, 'She's a batperson; we lurk. I can't really complain.'

"Sorry. Need talk." Batgirl apologized, but quickly returned to subject.

Barbara sighed, this sounded like it might not be an easy conversation.

"What's going on, Cass?" Barbara asked.

Cassandra felt suddenly nervous, and she didn't know why. She started to feel itchy beneath her tight, leather suit. She pulled off her mask and let her hair, black as a starless, midnight sky, fall and frame her beautiful Asian face. Her skin was smooth and young, but devoid of innocence. She wore dark purple lipstick that accented her precious golden skin. Cass sat down on the chair in front of Barbara, then stood up and began to pace. She sat down again and crossed her arms, fidgeting before standing up and pacing again. All the while Barbara maintained a worried yet amused face.

Barbara had never seen Cass act this way before, "Cass, honey, sit down and tell me what's wrong."

Batgirl plopped down on the chair; she felt so odd right now. The tingling, falling sensation appeared every time she thought of Randy. It always started in her chest like a soft hand grabbing her heart and then dropped to the pit of her stomach flip flopping over and over. She didn't like this, but then again…she kind of did.

"I see guy…" Cassandra began.

Barbara nodded her head, "You see a guy and?" She extended her "a" to give note to Cass to continue.

"I see guy…and stomach warms, flips, and flops. Cheeks get warm." Batgirl tried to explain the best she could.

Barbara smiled, 'A crush! She has a crush!' Barbara giggled in her mind, 'Oh god I have to tell Dick when he gets here!' "Oh don't worry, Cass. This is all normal."

"Normal? Normal for what?" Cassandra questioned in earnest.

"Cass, when a girl sees a guy o-o-or a girl they feel that way when they like them. When they really like them, when they have a crush." Barbara explained with a sweet smile on her face, patting Cass's knee in comfort. She knew that this must be confusing for the young girl; Cass was never raised with an understanding of the vast ocean of emotions a person can possess. As Cass spent more time with the Batfamily, even a weird family as this, Barbara hoped Cass would begin to feel more and more of her range. 'Poor girl' Barbara thought, 'If only I could change the world.' Barbara looked down at legs for but a moment, 'If only I could change the world.'

Cassandra Cain saw the former Batgirl stare at her legs for a moment and wondered what she was thinking. "Crush?" Cass's face displayed an array of emotions running across it, half of which she couldn't understand. She knew what the word meant, but it was so strange for her to be connected to that word.

Barbara got a giddy look on her face, "So who do you a crush on?"

"Randy," Came Cass's quiet reply.

"Randy?" Barbara had to think a second before comprehension appeared on her face. She didn't like the fact that he was a former vampire, but according to Bruce his soul had been purged of it's evil, and he did save Dick's life.

"That ok?" Cassandra asked.

Barbara smiled a warm and motherly smile. "That's fine, Cassandra. Hey, Dick sent me some pictures tonight of Randy with his mini camera. I haven't had the chance to look at them. Let's see if he's a hunk," Barbara said with a teasing smile, 'I might not get a chance to playfully tease her ever again so I better while I can.' Barbara turned her chair around and started typing. She brought up a file that read, "Pics from Dick."

The file opened and there were ton of pics from Dick apparently all labeled. Barbara scrolled down to one of the pics named Randy and she clicked on it. It took a milla-second to load before a picture appeared on the screen. She saw a handsome young man with porcelain white skin, and short, rich, mahogany colored hair. He had sharp cheekbones that could cut glass and dark, passionate blue eyes. His eyes seemed to run deeper than any ocean, and they were so expressive; eyes that exposed every emotion he felt and pulled you in to feel the same thing. His eyes in this picture expressed regret and kindness, as he covered a young, blond, battered woman with his blood red coat.

Barbara coughed as she wiped the drool away and looked over to the blushing Cass, "So…yeah he's a hunk."

Barbara turned back to the computer, "Gives Dick a run for his money, but I think he might be a little old for you, Cass. All I'm saying is you need to be careful with crushes especially on older men. Ok Cass?" Barbara turned around, but Batgirl was gone.

Barbara frowned a little, "She disappeared! Well that wasn't expected." She said sarcastically to herself. Barbara sighed, "Poor girl."

**_Kelly's Apartment…_**

Randy gently lowered Harmony's usually perfect body into the hot water, and only slightly winced when she hissed. He grabbed a wet washcloth and expertly began to clean Harmony's face.

"Your name's Randy now?" Harmony asked confused.

"Yeah, luv." Randy replied gently with a soft look on his face and a small smile.

She smiled when he called her "luv." She wasn't used to Spike-er-Randy being so nice to her, but it was certainly pleasant.

"Why change your name, Blondie Bear?" Harmony asked.

"Guess I needed the change is all. Not a vampire anymore, you know? Given a new life in a new city. I guess I thought I needed a new name."

Harmony nodded. "Can I still call you, Spike? And Blondie Bear?" she excitely asked.

Randy only slightly grimaced at the nickname. "Well, pet I'm not blond anymore." Randy began to clean the lower regions on her body, gently cleaning the blood and semen off her body.

Harmony shrugged, "I could call you Brownie Bear."

Randy's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah, Blondie Bear's just fine," Randy quickly assured her.

"Are you sure I can't eat humans anymore?" Harmony said with a pout.

Randy rolled his eyes, 'fifteenth time she's asked, crazy bint.'

"Yes, Harmony. You can't eat humans."

Harmony became nervous, "You know…I tried to be good once before. I tried to be good for Cordelia, because we were best friends in high school, but I couldn't. I kind of turned on them."

"It's ok, Harmony."

"Why?"

"Because you won't do that again," he said.

"Why?" She repeated the question, looking for answers in such an innocent way. It was hard to believe that Harmony was a vampire, or that she has tasted the nectar of blood, preformed sexual acts that would have a porno star saying, "Oh, hell no!" and that was just with Spike. Hard to believe such things about Harmony; because her innocence was genuine.

"Because I believe in you."

Harmony was closer to crying than she'd been since she was captured.

"Oh." It barely left her lips, yet it said so much.

Harmony looked up at Randy with teary blue eyes. She reached up to kiss his cheek, as blood and salt tears spilled down the corners of her eyes. "Thank you."

"Your welcome, Harmony."

Harmony then giggled, "You're a super hero! That's kind of cool."

**_Wayne Manor, Bruce's Bedroom…_**

Bruce sat quietly in the dark reflecting on the night's events. The Wraith spared Croc's life, telling the man-beast why he wasn't going to kill him, "Because you're not worth my soul " The words seemed so determined and strong inside Randy's voice, as if he were taking a stand that was denied to him for so long. Bruce knew all too well about taking stands.

He sat back in the dark of his bedroom, Selina lying naked on her side, the sheet covering every curve of her stunning body. He looked at her and smiled ever so slightly. When alone with no one to see, it was ok to smile. Never in front of friends, and never in front of family. He and Selina had played a game of cat and mouse for so long, but she slowly turned from her life of crime. He'd never say it, but it made him happy to have her here. He believes she knows he knows she knows. He had thought he could never be with someone, because of his life and the mask that he wears. But she's been there almost since the beginning as an ally, enemy, a lover, and now a girlfriend; one that he can keep one that he can love. He had almost lost her during the hush incident, believing her involved. It had taken a bit of berating from Alfred, Dick, and Tim, plus some reflecting on his own life to see the error of his actions. So he smiled in the dark, because no one can see him smile.

Words from earlier that night reverberated in his head, _"It wouldn't be the first time my choice to let someone live was the right one!"_ Those words brought forth a memory that always stays close in his mind, but this time the memory revealed so much more than before.

_His tears were running down his young face as he clutched his mother's pearls in his tiny hand._

_"Mommy?" Young Bruce sniffed away the tears as he nudged his dead mother. She didn't respond. If only he hadn't wanted to leave the opera. Mommy and Daddy would be awake right now. Why aren't they awake? 'Because they're dead and it's your fault!' yelled a grim gravely voice in his head._

_The back door of the opera house swung open so fast it slammed against the wall with a resounding smack, but young Bruce Wayne was far to immersed in his own grief to notice._

_"Bloody dribble! That was the worst opera I've seen in a hundred years!" Spike said as he exited the building, a spacey Dru hanging off his arm._

_"Oh, but the composer was so lovely, like a dictator commanding his crickets."_

_"Uhhh right, dictator commanding Cricket's." Spike tuned away and mumbled to himself, "Bloody bint."_

_Drusilla looked aghast, "Shame… shame, such words. Mummy is very cross with you, William. Mmm, maybe I need to make you red and tasty all over."_

_Spike pulled Drusilla close and nuzzled her neck, "That right? Whips, chains, and the whole kit kaboodle?"_

_He pushed her against the wall and vamped out, but just has he was about to bite into her neck, he stopped. A harmony of whimpering and grief was filling the alleyway so rapidly that Spike felt himself harden just thinking about it. He turned away from Dru and saw a young boy crying next to the bodies of what apparently were his parents._

_"Well, well look at this then." Spike said as he sauntered over to Bruce._

_Bruce looked up into Spike's demonic face, but he couldn't muster it up to be afraid. What else was there to fear?_

_Spike grabbed Bruce by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up. Dru was distinctly clapping her hands in joy talking about the stars offering her a little bat doll._

_The boy began to stutter slightly as tears were cascading down his face, "My m-m-mommy's dead. M-my daddy could help her. He's a doctor, b-b-ut he's dead too!" And then he started to cry with such grief rocking his little body. His arms encircled Spike latching on to him._

_Spike was dumbfounded as what to do or why this kid was hugging him, but he couldn't stand the kid's tearful screaming of "MOMMY! MOMMY! WAKE UP! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO KILL YOU."_

_Spike nearly choked on his own tears when the heard the words. The boy blamed himself. He blamed his mother's death on himself._

_"It's ok," he started, quietly, "It's not your fault, ev-ev-everything's going to be okay." Spike kept whispering those same soothing words to the child till he heard the sirens ringing, then left the child to his dead parents and took Dru away. Later that night he went on a killing spree, murdering in glee and vengeance to forget his weakness earlier that evening. To forget how he coddled a child he never knew. Not once did he ask himself why he only killed thugs and muggers that night, why only criminals felt his wrath._

Bruce exhaled slowly as the memory surfaced and replayed in his mind. He had never forgotten the blond man with the bat's face who had spared his life.

Bruce would always remember The Bat Man who wore nothing but black.

TBC…


	9. Interlude: Dominos of Purpose

Blood Knights in Gotham

**Blood Knights in Gotham**

**Readers Rock, but Reviewers Rule!**

**Interlude: Dominos of Purpose**

**Authors Note: Geez, it's been three years hasn't it? Sorry about that angry readers who probably want my head on a stick. Without going into to many details, I lost a much loved member of my family and the urge to write left me completely for the longest time. But as my profile said, **_**every**_** story will be finished. And this is where I return, Blood Knights. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you haven't forgotten. The rest of my stories will update soon, and hopefully I'll change my WIP's to just regular ole' Works.**

**Special Note: Thank you Squirl for your consist loyalty and friendship. Master is pleased.**

**Kelly's Apartment…..**

He still loves the moon, nothing has changed about that. Alone, bathed in its ethereal glow, he can be at peace or his most wild.

He opts for peace tonight.

There, standing on what was once Kelly's terrace, proudly displaying fresh bruises black in the nights dim light, Randy reflects on the last few hours and the past two weeks. So much has changed for him, a new path forged by another head strong decision, but still. No regrets. Ever. Except for his mother; whose death was his fault, his Joyce; whose death he couldn't prevent, and his Kelly; who, to put it simply he failed. But he was use to failure.

What he wasn't use too was purpose.

Perhaps in the wake of Kelly's untimely demise he finally found one. It seemed almost too clichéd to Randy. 'One soddin tragedy and you become some sort of bloody Knight.' Randy shakes his head ruefully.

'Ponce.' The Former vampire smirks at his own afterthought.

It wasn't one tragedy though, was it? Eyes deep as infinite stare up at its new lover, the night. Too many tragedies to count. Too many years to remember.

His reaction to Kelly's death was…intense. No longer hampered by Spike's demon the poet soul of William broke down and wrote a tragic sonnet with tears. So many verses spilled out him in that moment. Verses about his mother, Joyce, Dawn, and then Kelly; the latest in a long line of golden goddesses who actually…cared about him. And he's lost every single one of them in some twisted fashion or another.

"Oh god."

Randy tiredly rubs his face, "I'm brooding."

He leans unto the rusted metal railing, hands white knuckle clenched on the banister.

"How many chits like Kelly have I left twisted in the alley?" He ponders aloud, he knows no one is Gotham is listening, except maybe for a few bats.

It's not the burden of guilt he's feeling, just the realization of a long unlife. He's taken, a lot, and has yet to give back. He's responsible for every life that he passes by, Randy feels this to be. He can save any life put before his path, once…not long ago; He could kill anyone in his path. And he did.

Now he can save them. And he will.

Not because of some sort of misguided search for redemption or never ending guilt. He's already been redeemed thanks to Angel and his trinket.

Randy barks out laughter at the thought. 'I wonder how the poof would feel knowing he's the reason I'm redeemed.'

No, it's not guilt that drives him.

It's honor.

Randy turns back to the apartment, concern and sympathy etched on his angelic face. Harmony's soft cries float through the air like burning paper airplanes.

So he leaves the moonlit terrace and enters the pitch black apartment to offer his comfort.

Because he has that to give.

And because she deserves to receive it.

**Bludhaven skyline….**

He still loves to soar through the air, nothing has changed about that. Alone, wind whipping around him, he can be at peace or at his most wild.

Tonight he decides to be wild.

It's better to be wild when on patrol in Bludhaven, Dick Grayson, the former boy wonder knew this all too well. Even with his trained eye keeping a lookout for any excitement he couldn't help but think about the last few hours and the past two weeks. So much has changed for him, dying can be a revelation really. Makes you train harder, try harder with that special someone; Dick can admit he hasn't made any mistakes with Barbara in the last two weeks. Which, he's been assured by Tim and Alfred is some sort of record.

The dominos of life seem all too clear for Nightwing when he's free falling 120 feet onto a moving car exchanging bullets with the police. Spike's return may have caused him to be a target, but it was Spike's decision to save him. Dick faced the facts, Bruce wouldn't have made it in time. The near-tragedy brought him closer to Babs then they've been in months. Actually it was looking as if the two might make it this time.

If only the dominos would have stopped right there --

The satisfying crunch of flimsy steel and shattered glass as he lands make him smirk, but the real pleasure comes from the shock and awe from the battered cars passengers. With amazing dexterity and agility, Dick flips himself unto the front hood of the gang-bangers car.

"Hi." He gave the shocked thugs a smile and a small wave.

"Godamnit somebody plug that freak!" The Driver yelled hysterically.

In shaky unison the others turned their weapons on Nightwing and fired. A hail of gunfire blinded their eyes and deafened their ears. A strange sick confidence overcame the fear once all too evident and their hands became steady, far too late. The bullets ceased and to their disappointment Nightwing was gone, replaced by a concrete divider five feet in front of them. They all thought the same thing.

'Shit.' Then they crashed.

Standing atop an 18 wheeler going the other direction Nightwing could only shake his head in amusement as the crash unfolded. But soon the amusement, as it often does lately, shifted back into a grim face and even grimmer thoughts.

--, But the dominos had no intention of ending on the high note of him and Barbara.

Kelly, her death torments him in some secret way that few could see, save Bruce, Alfred and Barbara. It was his city that she died in, and every loss is his failure. It's this attitude that makes him fear he's becoming more and more like the Dark Knight.

'I was _right_ there.' He berates himself mentally, hates himself. He left Gotham and Robin behind to prove he was his own man, to prove that he could make a difference.

"I was right there." The sad whisper escaped his chapped lips as he headed home.

It's times like this, in the face of tragedy, when the idea of fate briefly pops into Dicks head. The domino of loss leads to a certain breed. For Bruce it led to Batman, For Dick it was Nightwing, and for Randy…it was The Wraith.

That night in _his_ city, a new legend was born. Dick knew deep inside, it was his responsibility to guide Randy as Bruce guided him. Not as a son, but a Brother.

A partner.

**Wayne Manor. Alfred's room…..**

Alfred likes to clean his room; the menial activity gives him the pleasure to think beyond bruises and worry. Picking up a picture of Thomas, Martha and Bruce Wayne, gives him time to cherish memories past, and the present, he smiles as he dusts a picture of Dick and Tim goofing off.

Why he's even given the time to remember a life before the Wayne's. A family before Master Wayne. Alfred is truly the last of the Pennyworths, though he does have a niece out there somewhere, but with his death the name Pennyworth will be gone. It's a fact that never bothered Alfred; he realized long ago that he had…perhaps a greater purpose. And though it's never spoken, he has a son. A good man who performs great selfless acts for what he believes to be the greater good.

Alfred believes that to be true.

He idly shifts through his past, a picture of him and his acting troupe, countless frameless photos of a family long gone. His mother and Father standing side by side, hands clasped in affection, faces stern in their dedication to their duty and professionalism. Wading through the trunk of his past he comes across the oldest photo.

Framed in an elegant metal lace, it was a black and white of Elizabeth Pennyworth, his Great Grandmother as a child. She couldn't be more then three in this picture. She was resting in the arms of a young man, perhaps in his late twenty's; Alfred hasn't seen a child so contented in all his life. The young fellow himself looked rather timid in Alfred's estimation. He had sharp cheek bones, soft eyes, and curly hair.

Alfred's eyebrows scrunched has he pondered and remembered, trying to pin point exactly who this young man is.

"Ah ha!" Alfred blurted, his face shifting to one of satisfaction as the memory rolled in. William his name was, his great grandmothers Brother who mysteriously disappeared. If Alfred's memory served him correctly he disappeared some two weeks before his mother followed the same fate.

What a tragedy it must have been for Elizabeth. To lose both her Brother and Mother in such a short time. Their untraceable disappearance was a mystery that plagued her and the family for generations. Perhaps he should get Master Wayne to work his skills and solve it. What Bloody good is it to work for the greatest Detective in the world and never utilize his young Masters night job?

"Hmmm."

Peering at the picture closely, that William seems so familiar to Alfred, but he can't quite place it.

**Kelly's Apartment…**

She curls herself into a tight ball, hoping to muffle her sobs from reaching concerned ears. The vampire's bruised face covered by her blond flowing mane is buried in her knees. Face buried deep, eyes tightly shut, she pleads to dissolve in dust.

For Harmony, life after high school has gotten tragically worse. Dying young, losing her soul, her friends, and…her dignity. Shame replacing every ounce of confidence she once held, she just wants Spike to hold her and whisper that 'everything will be ok'. Burdened by unnecessary guilt, she can't bring herself to ask for this simple comfort.

She hates this so much, when she was in high school she was the queen of mean, everyone was beneath her. When she was a vampire, humans really were beneath her in the food chain. Even with all the power she holds she couldn't stop what…happened. The blonde vampire was brought down to the human level. She was just like everyone else now. Weak.

As despair begins to set in the young vampire sobs harder then she's ever sobbed in her life or unlife. Harder then when Brad Konig stood her up, harder then the realization that she couldn't get a tan anymore and harder then the truth that Spike didn't love her. That's all she could think about, what she has lost, so lost in her thoughts she didn't feel the weight shift on the bed. She gasped when he felt strong warm arms encircle her. Tensing at first till she realized who it was, she melted into Spike's embrace and wept at his kindness.

Stroking the young girls arm softly, Randy leaned in and whispers delicately,

"Everything will be ok, Harm. I _promise_."

TBC…..


End file.
